Dr Reyes, who is from a small coastal town (Santa Elena) in Ecuador, says his passion for conservation began in his childhood.
“I think it was innate in me,” he says. “We lived on the borders of the town and there was bush nearby. I was always interested in animals; I was always collecting them; I would make my mum mad.” He recalls being grounded a few times due to his animal collecting pursuits.
Dr Reyes had a close connection with his grandmother, who influenced his love of birds from an early age.
“I’m a bird person because of my grandmother, who always told me stories of owls and mockingbirds. I clearly recall a story of her during her childhood about rescuing a mockingbird that died because it got very angry when handled. So, she taught me that birds are to be enjoyed in freedom and not caged,” he explains.
Dr Reyes completed his bachelor’s degree in biology in Ecuador and later moved to the Galápagos Islands, where he spent seven years working with endangered bird species. During this time, he worked with the Floreana Mockingbird, which later became the focus of his PhD research, as well as the Waved Albatross, which remains his current research interest.
“It’s where I saw the albatross for the first time, the only tropical albatross in the world. They are critically endangered with a declining population.” He detailed why the bird’s numbers are in decline. “Artisanal fishermen’s method of fishing is harmful to several seabirds; the birds become bycatch, causing reduced population.” Adding to the issue is the very particular biology of albatrosses. “They only produce one egg per year; if they lose it, that’s it for the year. If one mate is lost, it can take three to four years to find another mate to reproduce.”
Dr Reyes explains under the criteria of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) if a population of endangered species has only one location, it’s desirable to create another viable population in a different location. More than 99% of waved albatrosses breed on Española Island in the Galápagos National Park; it’s a major island not populated by people. Since 2023, Dr Reyes has put his energies into conserving a very small population of waved albatross on the Isla de la Plata, which is outside the Machalilla National Park, about 40 kilometres off Ecuador’s coast.
“They had not been monitored or studied for quite some time and the population, (formerly much larger), is down to four albatrosses. This population could become an insurance population for the species.” In 2023, Dr Reyes started raising funds and writing proposals for Isla de la Plata waved albatrosses, then in 2024, he started the project; carrying out fieldwork, he installed 20 waved albatross decoys as well as solar-powered speakers, which play waved albatross calls, with a goal of attracting at least two breeding pairs in the next few years. This project (along with other projects to improve the conservation of the species) were recently featured in the Spring 2026 edition of Audubon magazine, an international magazine about bird biology and conservation.
“These are passive conservation actions; you do the work, then wait and see what happens – wait two years and see if it works. This method has worked for another species in the same genus.” Dr Reyes explains. He visited the Isla de la Plata site twice in 2025 and is working in a partnership with a local Ecuadorian organisation responsible for monitoring the cameras and maintaining the equipment. With additional funding, Dr Reyes aims to implement the next stage of the project, focused on reducing the species’ probability of extinction on the island.
Since completing his PhD, Dr Reyes has taken on some varied projects which have taken him to the Chatham Islands and Hawaii, as well as back to Ecuador and Galápagos. He worked for DoC (Department of Conservation) with Black Robin conservation on the Chatham Islands. Then there was a stint with DoC head office in a bridging role between the New Zealand and Ecuadorian governments to produce a Memorandum of Understanding to help improve the conservation efforts for migratory seabirds between the two nations. “Most New Zealand albatross and petrel species travel to South America. Seabirds are protected here, but it is a different story over there.” Dr Reyes’ time in Hawaii was as project coordinator to reintroduce the Hawaiian crow to the wild, (the species was declared extinct in the wild in 2002), however, he left the project after six months, admitting, “I missed New Zealand; there’s a better work-life balance here.”
And even though it’s 26 hours travel (via Chile) to go back to Ecuador, Dr Reyes calls New Zealand home, revealing the main reason he chose to settle here is that New Zealand is a “bird country”.
“It’s very safe, and there is no better place in the world to learn and work in conservation than New Zealand; Kiwis are conservation superstars.”
“New Zealand exports conservation skills everywhere. We were all influenced by New Zealand work and learned through New Zealanders coming to Galápagos and building our capacity.” At an eradication attempt in Galápagos last year, Dr Reyes says a decent percentage of the people involved were New Zealanders, including helicopter pilots and eradication science experts.
Since 2025, Dr Reyes has opened a new chapter in his career. “I wanted to work in academia, do research, publish papers, and inspire students to do conservation.” After reaching out to SIT, Dr Reyes was employed as a Science Developer for SIT’s Environmental Management (EM) programme and then gained a Tutor’s role, giving him full-time work.
“I’m very happy here. The work environment is great; my colleagues are great and I love teaching and supervising my students. SIT has given me my dream job.”
He points to the quality of SIT’s Bachelor of Environmental Management programme which is well designed to get graduates into employment. Third-year students complete a research project which develops skills such as critical thinking and report writing - very important for progressing into roles with councils and DoC. “This is one of the particular skills we want to transmit to our students.”
Dr Reyes is keen to gain further experience in teaching and supervising larger cohorts of students, as well as fostering collaborations between the Chatham Islands and the Galápagos to support student research and fieldwork.
Recently, he was appointed Science Advisor for The Friends of Galápagos New Zealand, a Kiwi organisation that facilitates links between New Zealand expertise and the Galápagos by building local capacity. This organisation supported his journey from Ecuador to New Zealand to undertake his PhD, and he is now eager to give back through this role. “I hope the position will contribute to capacity building in Ecuador and potentially create opportunities for SIT students to undertake research and fieldwork in the Galápagos over time.”