Donor Corner—Alicia Miñana de Lovelace
For Alicia Miñana de Lovelace, protecting the Caribbean has always meant protecting the people who call it home.
Alicia Miñana de Lovelace grew up going to the beach with her family in Puerto Rico, and, over the years, she watched the coastlines change. “We saw how the sand had receded from the shoreline—it made an impression on me,” Alicia says.
Hurricanes were a fact of life, and so was observing how people weathered them. Yet, “Caribbean people are joyful and appreciative of where they were born. Nature is front and center in how we experience life—we cannot separate people from nature,” Alicia says.
As a child, she also noticed boats taking a toll on the reefs she loved to explore. As they dropped anchor, the drivers would often carelessly break the coral. Snorkeling showed her what was at stake beneath the surface. “I wanted to preserve the coral for myself and for future generations,” she says.
“Nature is front and center in how we experience life—we cannot separate people from nature."
Those early experiences and the conservation instinct grew into what became Alicia’s long relationship with The Nature Conservancy. For more than a decade, she has been one of the Caribbean Division’s most dedicated champions, serving as Chair of the Caribbean Board of Trustees, helping launch and lead the Trustee Emeriti Program, and investing generously in the region’s future. Through both her leadership and philanthropy, Alicia has helped strengthen conservation efforts across the Caribbean while encouraging others to become part of the work.
When asked what has kept her committed to TNC over the years, Alicia comes back to the organization’s ability to work alongside local communities while bringing global expertise and partnerships to the region. The debt conversions in the Bahamas and Barbados “were instrumental in helping the islands,” she says; and importantly, “they partner with people on the ground and give a lot of credit. It’s really all about the people.”
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One Caribbean, United for Nature
From lush, biodiversity‑rich mountains to colorful reefs teeming with life, natural beauty permeates the Caribbean. For more than 40 years, The Nature Conservancy has worked with 17 Caribbean nations, communities and supporters to restore ecosystems and protect what makes this region extraordinary.
