REDPARQUES Declaration, from national commitments to international interventions

The Latin American Technical Cooperation Network on National Parks, other Protected Areas, and Wild Flora and Fauna- also known as REDPARQUES -adopted a Declaration on protected areas (PAs) as natural solutions to climate change.

During COP 21 of the UN Climate Change Convention (UNFCCC), 18 Latin American countries highlighted the role of protected areas for implementing climate change mitigation and adaptation, by providing the “green infrastructure” required. This Declaration is based on the interrelation between biodiversity and climate change. 

REDPARQUES Declaration states that PAs offer the opportunity to stabilize the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere, to guarantee the sustainable use of ecosystem services, to reduce the vulnerability of communities and to meet the necessary conditions for adaptation processes. 

Lastly, the Declaration recognizes the importance of the Amazon as an ecosystem that secures ecosystem services and communities’ resilience.