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Angelo
Villagomez

Senior Fellow

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Conservation Policy
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Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice; Asia-Pacific; Climate Change; Conservation; Environmental and Climate Justice; Ocean

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Angelo Villagomez

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Angelo Villagomez is a senior fellow at American Progress, where he focuses on Indigenous-led conservation. Born in a village on an island in the western Pacific Ocean next to the Mariana Trench and trained in Western scientific methods, Villagomez is a conservation advocate who uses Indigenous knowledge and values and the scientific method to address modern threats including habitat loss, fishing, and climate colonialism.

Villagomez worked for 14 years at The Pew Charitable Trusts, where he was an advocate for the designation and expansion of the national marine monuments in the Pacific islands and a policy expert on global shark conservation. During his tenure at Pew, he led efforts to secure an agreement at the International Union for Conservation of Nature committing governments to protect at least 30 percent of the ocean in fully to highly protected marine areas and contributed to The MPA Guide and the IUCN MPA Standards. He previously worked for the League of Conservation Voters, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance.

Villagomez holds bachelor’s degrees in biology from the University of Richmond and environmental policy from Rollins College. He is a mediocre ukulele player and enjoys scuba diving in warm tropical waters full of fish.

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Upwell: A Wave of Ocean Justice Online Past Event

Upwell: A Wave of Ocean Justice Online

Please join Azul, the Center for American Progress, and Urban Ocean Lab for an online symposium on the rising tide of justice and equity in ocean policy.

Online via Zoom

Upwell: A Wave of Ocean Justice Past Event

Upwell: A Wave of Ocean Justice

Please join Azul, the Center for American Progress, and Urban Ocean Lab for an in-person symposium on the rising tide of justice and equity in ocean policy.

1333 H ST NW, Washington, DC, 20005

Beyond 30×30: Global Ocean Conservation Quality Is Lagging Behind Quantity Article
A green sea turtle swims among the corals of Lady Elliot Island.

Beyond 30×30: Global Ocean Conservation Quality Is Lagging Behind Quantity

The international community’s commitment to protect at least 30 percent of our ocean by 2030—a goal known as “30x30”—is both inspiring and challenging; but this effort must go beyond mere numbers and strive for quality, effectiveness, and holistic conservation.

Angelo Villagomez

5 Early Takeaways From the Biden Administration’s Conservation Atlas Article
People view the sunset from a proposed expansion area of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.

5 Early Takeaways From the Biden Administration’s Conservation Atlas

The Biden administration has released long-awaited metrics for U.S. land and water conservation that show national progress made toward ambitious “30x30” goals; but there’s also a deeper story to explore about the path ahead for ocean and land protection as well as the value and limits of numeric targets.

Drew McConville, Angelo Villagomez

Dreaming of a Protected Ocean In the News

Dreaming of a Protected Ocean

In the spring 2024 issue of the Smithsonian's American Indian magazine, Angelo Villagomez draws on personal memories growing up on Saipan to describe how his culture, heritage, and family continue to inform his approach to conservation advocacy today.

American Indian magazine

Angelo Villagomez

The Biden Administration Can Deliver on Ocean Conservation Promises Made by the Bush and Obama Administrations Article

The Biden Administration Can Deliver on Ocean Conservation Promises Made by the Bush and Obama Administrations

Publishing final management plans for three marine monuments that have languished in bureaucratic limbo for as many as 15 years would deliver effective management for nearly half the protected waters in the United States.

Angelo Villagomez, Beth Pike, Laurie Peterka, 1 More Jen Felt

Upwell: A Wave of Ocean Justice Past Event
Upwell: A Wave of Ocean Justice logo

Upwell: A Wave of Ocean Justice

Please join Azul, the Center for American Progress, and Urban Ocean Lab for an online symposium on the rising tide of justice and equity in ocean policy.

Online only

A Day in the Life of a Conservation Advocate Video

A Day in the Life of a Conservation Advocate

Follow Tina Sablan, former representative of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, as she goes to Washington, D.C., to advocate for a management plan for the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument—and for the inclusion of the Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands in the conservation of their lands and water.

Margaret Cooney, Angelo Villagomez, Toni Pandolfo, 2 More Ala Al Sadi, Hai-Lam Phan

‘Under the Pala Pala’: Special Edition Episode Video

‘Under the Pala Pala’: Special Edition Episode

In this special edition episode, six national marine sanctuary advocates came together for a storytelling event hosted by the Center for American Progress and the National Ocean Protection Coalition at the fifth International Marine Protected Area Congress in Vancouver, Canada, to talk Indigenous-led conservation.

Angelo Villagomez, Margaret Cooney, Madalyn Reagan