PGS Home Page

PGS Partner Partner: Margarita Díaz López

Borderlands Water & Watershed Systems Leader | Binational coalition-builder

Margarita is a cross-border environmental leader who designs and leads watershed strategies from Tijuana to San Diego. For three decades, she has mobilized communities, advanced policy, and built citizen science to protect water quality and expand safe access. Her work bridges science, governance, and community action.

Contact Margarita

Strategic Value & PGS Collaboration

SDG 6 Implementation

Strategic advisor for Clean Water & Sanitation goals in Baja California.

Coalition Architecture

Expert in designing multi-sector partnerships involving municipal/state agencies, NGOs, and tech partners.

Risk Mitigation

Development of community-based monitoring and early-warning protocols.

Policy Advisory

Expert guidance on environmental policy development and compliance frameworks.

Quick Facts

30+ years building environmental programs in the Tijuana–San Diego region.

Led statewide cleanups engaging tens of thousands of volunteers and hundreds of institutions over two decades.

Established a citizen water quality lab with multi-year public notifications and an open data culture.

Co-led riparian restoration and conservation park efforts; catalyzed cross-sector solutions in complex political contexts.

Recognized with national and binational environmental awards.

Why Work with Margarita?

30+ years proven track record building and leading successful environmental programs in complex binational contexts

Certified environmental consultant (CONOCER EC0249, CEL-EDU) with specialized training in comprehensive water management

Documented outcomes: tens of thousands mobilized, award-winning programs, policy influence

Bi-lingual, community-centered approach that combines scientific rigor with participatory methods and local knowledge

Roles & Affiliations

Leadership Positions

  • Executive Director, Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental (PFEA)
  • Director, Tijuana Waterkeeper; Latin America Board Rep, Waterkeeper Alliance
  • President, Cañada de los Sauces Council

Key Appointments

  • IBWC Minute 320 Core Group
  • SWIA Board
  • Clean Beaches Program Coordinator
  • Tijuana River Watershed Advisory Council

Signature Achievements

  • Built the only specialized coastal-ecosystem training curriculum for Tijuana with a binational team of specialists.
  • Organized the first statewide cleanups—330+ institutions; 55,000+ volunteers; ~450 tons of waste removed across 21 years.
  • Launched the first Citizen Monitoring Program for transparency and compliance in municipal/state water management.
  • Co-authored the Watershed Management Plan for the Tijuana River: resilience approach, river-to-sea water governance basis.
  • Citizen Laboratory (9 yrs): systematic data, beach safety notifications, first-of-its-kind in Baja California.
  • 35 hectares of riparian habitat rescued at Arroyo Alamar; co-led Cañada de los Sauces Conservation Park.
  • Coordinated Tijuana's first eco-friendly public facility using traditional/natural/reused materials and dry toilets.

Recognitions & Knowledge Contributions

Recognitions

  • National Environmental Merit Award (SEMARNAT)
  • U.S. EPA Environmental Achievement Award
  • U.S.-Mexico Cross-Border Cooperation & Innovation Award (Woodrow Wilson Center – Border Research Partnership)
  • Coastal Champion Community Honoree (San Diego Coastkeeper)
  • Tijuana Hall of Fame; River Hero (River Rally)

Publications & Knowledge Contributions

  • Water quality and pollutant dynamics at the U.S.–Mexico border (Frontiers in Microbiology; co-author)
  • Environmental/structural violence in the Tijuana River channel (Social Science & Medicine; co-author)
  • Community participation toolkits on marine litter (Commission for Environmental Cooperation)

Collaboration Opportunities with Margarita x PGS

1

Watershed Management & Water Governance

Participatory watershed management plans integrating community input, technical data, and multi-stakeholder coordination.

2

Community-Based Water Quality Monitoring

Citizen science monitoring programs with early-warning systems, volunteer training, and public water quality notifications.

3

Stakeholder Engagement & Coalition Building

Multi-sector coalitions connecting government agencies, NGOs, academia, communities, and private partners around shared environmental goals.

4

SDG 6 Implementation & Strategic Planning

Advisory services for SDG 6 implementation, including action plans, indicator frameworks, and cross-sectoral coordination to improve water access.

5

Environmental Policy & Advocacy

Advisory on policy development, compliance transparency, and cross-border environmental agreements and memoranda of understanding.