Honduran Marine Leader Gabriela Ochoa Recognized by The Explorers Club as One of 50 People Changing the World

Roatan Online and Roatan Tourism Bureau are proud to highlight an extraordinary milestone for marine conservation in Honduras and for the growing global recognition of Honduran leadership. Gabriela Ochoa, Executive Director of ilili Honduras, has been selected as part of the 2026 Explorers Club 50 (EC50): Fifty People Changing the World That the World Needs to Know About, becoming the first Honduran ever to receive this prestigious recognition.

While we are not part of ilili, as platforms dedicated to sharing meaningful stories from Roatan and Honduras, we celebrate this achievement as a powerful example of how local initiatives are creating real, lasting impact. Institutions like ilili demonstrate how science, community engagement, and courageous leadership can drive change day by day—both locally and on the global stage.

The Explorers Club 50: Recognizing Impact Beyond the Spotlight

Each year, The Explorers Club selects fifty extraordinary individuals from around the world whose work promotes science, exploration, and discovery, often far from the public spotlight. The EC50 highlights explorers, researchers, and conservationists who are shaping the future of the planet, protecting life on Earth, and expanding our understanding of interconnected ecosystems.

The Class of 2026, the sixth cohort of EC50 honorees, represents the cutting edge of conservation, field science, and research. From remote marine environments to complex policy arenas, these visionaries are tackling some of the most urgent environmental and social challenges facing the world today. Gabriela Ochoa’s inclusion among this group places Honduras firmly on the global map of marine conservation leadership.

Gabriela Ochoa: Redefining Exploration from the Reef Up

Gabriela Ochoa is a marine biologist and shark conservationist whose work bridges science, public policy, and community empowerment along Honduras’ coastline. She is the founder and director of ilili, the first Honduran non-profit organization dedicated specifically to marine conservation through the lens of sharks and rays.

Her approach redefines what exploration means in Honduras—not as something imported from outside, but as a process led by local scientists, indigenous communities, and coastal fishers. Gabriela has worked to shift long-standing perceptions of sharks, promote sustainable fishing practices, and ensure that conservation solutions benefit both people and nature.

“I am redefining what it means to explore and push boundaries in my own country, Honduras,” Gabriela has said, emphasizing the importance of empowering indigenous and local voices, challenging traditional power dynamics, and opening space for women and underrepresented leaders in conservation science.

Building ilili: Science, Community, and Policy in One Vision

Founded in 2022, ilili has grown rapidly in a challenging national context for environmental activism. In just three years, the organization expanded from a one-woman initiative into an all-Honduran team of five professionals, conducting research in some of the most remote and underserved coastal regions of the country.

ilili has achieved historic milestones, including establishing the first shark fisheries baseline in Honduras, working directly with the national fisheries department to support legislation that includes fishers in conservation solutions, and becoming the first Honduran conservation organization to advise the government at a CITES Conference of the Parties (COP)—a landmark moment for shark and ray protection worldwide.

Their research has resulted in peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, grey literature, and outreach materials that have reached hundreds of people while filling critical knowledge gaps in Honduran marine science.

A Defining Moment in the Miskito Cays

One of the most powerful experiences shaping Gabriela’s journey occurred in 2016, during an expedition to the Miskito Cays, approximately 90 kilometers off Honduras’ coast. Traveling overnight on a lobster boat, the team reached the tiny cay of Katsikumi to investigate illegal shark fishing.

There, Gabriela witnessed boats returning filled with dead sharks, including a 3.8-meter pregnant great hammerhead. Over several days, the team documented more than 400 dead sharks. Rather than assigning blame to fishers, the experience revealed a deeper cycle of poverty, exclusion, and lack of alternatives—making clear that conservation without social inclusion cannot succeed.

That moment became a catalyst for ilili’s mission: addressing conservation challenges through science-based solutions that also respect livelihoods, culture, and community realities.

ilili’s Mission: Where People and Ocean Thrive Together

At its core, ilili is driven by the belief that people and the ocean can thrive together. The organization works across four main pillars: research, capacity development, community empowerment, and collaboration. Their efforts focus on fisheries management, marine protected area effectiveness, and the impact of the shark and ray trade.

By building technical capacity within local institutions and working closely with indigenous and coastal communities, ilili fosters long-term stewardship rooted in knowledge, respect, and shared responsibility. Partnerships with national and international organizations further amplify their impact, proving that meaningful conservation is a collective effort.

Celebrating Honduran Leadership and Global Impact

As Roatan Online and Roatan Tourism Bureau, we take pride in sharing stories like Gabriela Ochoa’s—not because we are part of these organizations, but because they reflect the resilience, intelligence, and leadership emerging from Honduras and Roatan. Recognition by The Explorers Club reinforces the idea that transformative change often begins locally, driven by people deeply connected to their environment and communities.

Gabriela Ochoa’s selection as one of the 2026 Explorers Club 50 is not only a personal achievement, but a moment of national significance. It highlights Honduras as a country producing world-class scientists and conservation leaders, and it inspires a new generation of ocean stewards to believe that global impact can start right here.