Elí García-Padilla is a social biologist and professional photographer with 17 years of experience in the formal study and photo documentation of Mexico’s biological and cultural diversity. He has published three books and over 150 formal contributions—with more than a thousand citations—focused on knowledge, science communication, and the conservation of Mesoamerican biodiversity.

Since 2006, he has devoted himself to exploring Oaxaca and Chiapas, the most biodiverse and multicultural states in Mexico. In 2017, he began venturing into the mythical region of Los Chimalapas in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, which holds the highest biological richness in all of Mexico, preserved under a system of community-based conservation.

He is currently immersed in the exploration of the utopia known as Los Pueblos Mancomunados in the Sierra Madre of Oaxaca through a community-focused project titled “Biodiversity of the Pueblos Mancomunados.” He also collaborates with community leaders and enterprises in the Chinantla region, home to the most important remaining cloud forest in Mexico.

Elí has led several workshops on nature photography and the biocultural heritage of Mexico, and is an expert with the Red Tox (Toxin Network). He has conducted numerous trainings on venomous snake identification, handling, and prehospital care protocols for snakebite accidents in rural community settings.

His photography has been featured in prestigious publications such as National Geographic en Español and Cuartoscuro. In 2020, he co-founded the initiative “Biodiversidad Mesoamericana” to collectively build community around the dissemination of Mexico’s most vital treasures: its biodiversity and Indigenous cultures.

His opinion columns on socio-environmental topics, Indigenous communities, and biodiversity are regularly published in Oaxaca Media, La Jornada Ecológica, La Jornada Maya, and the Ojarasca supplement of La Jornada.

Follow him on Instagram: @garciapadillaeli