Roberto "Lupo" Espinoza Obando. Photo by Winnie Hallwachs.
With profound sadness, GDFCF shares the passing of our dear colleague, Roberto “Lupo” Espinoza Obando. Lupo was Área de Conservación Guanacaste’s very first parataxonomist, dedicating 43 years of his life to understanding plants and the biodiversity of the tropical dry forest.
Lupo grew up at Hacienda Santa Rosa—La Casona—when it was still a working ranch, and later moved with his family to the coastal town of Cuajiniquil. These places stayed with him, shaping a lifelong connection to the forest he came to know so deeply.
As Winnie Hallwachs shared, “He was a quiet treasure. He had an internal map of the plant life of ACG, built from a lifetime of walking and observing. He was the person you went to for plant identification, for finding a species, or for knowing where it grows.” She added, “He was an extraordinary companion in the field—observant, undemanding, with a quiet sense of humor.”
María Marta Chavarría reflected, “Very few people understand the magnitude of this loss—not only of a colleague of great humanity, but of the immense knowledge he carried. Every tree, every plant, along with their locations and phenology. Lupo was an incredible combination of knowledge and humility.”
Lupo was deeply loved by his fellow parataxonomists and colleagues. We will miss his quiet presence, his gentle smile, and the way he shared what he knew so generously.
As Área de Conservación Guanacaste shared, “Today we say goodbye to a colleague, teacher, and friend. We are profoundly grateful for his legacy and everything he contributed to the knowledge and conservation of nature.”
Our hearts are with Lupo’s family, friends, and colleagues. He is already deeply missed, and his presence will continue to be felt in the forests he knew so well, and in all those who had the privilege of learning from him.