Conservando el patrimonio natural de la región neotropical : planificación y manejo de las áreas protegidas de la región neotropical

The Motagua River Basin Integrated Environmental Management Project aims to reduce land-based pollution and unintentional emissions of POPs that affect aquatic ecosystems—particularly marine and coastal ecosystems—through integrated watershed management and capacity building in Guatemala and Honduras. Within this framework, a pilot project was implemented to protect and restore water recharge areas in the Cerro San Gil Springs Protected Reserve, Puerto Barrios, Izabal, within the Las Escobas River basin, the municipality’s main water source. Through partnerships between public institutions, conservation organizations, and local communities, ecological restoration efforts, patrols, and conservation agreements were promoted. A total of 85 hectares were restored and 1,800 hectares were protected. The initiative benefited more than 32,000 residents and strengthened local governance for water and ecosystem conservation.

The Colombian Amazon is a biome of extraordinary biocultural richness that provides vital ecosystem services and faces complex socio-environmental pressures. There, traditional practices of Indigenous Peoples coexist with the productive systems of peasant, Afro-Colombian, and peace-signatory communities, as well as extractive activities and armed conflict.

There are also socio-environmental conflicts driven by socioeconomic inequalities among its inhabitants, which contribute to deforestation and affect ecological connectivity. In contrast, there is a tradition of community-led processes that sustainably manage the territory.

This solution presents the results of the Sustainable Amazon for Peace project, which strengthened environmental governance for #PeaceWithNature through conservation practices and the sustainable use of biodiversity in the northwestern Amazon (areas with the highest deforestation rates); supported by public policies formulated by institutions contributing to the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Agreement and climate action.

The Iguaçu region, located at the tri-border area between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay, is home to one of the last viable populations of jaguars in the Atlantic Forest. Interaction with human activities, particularly agriculture and livestock farming, has led to conflicts, economic losses, and negative perceptions of the species, thereby increasing hunting pressure on it. To address this challenge, Iguaçu National Park, through the Onças do Iguaçu Project, has implemented an integrated strategy for the coexistence of big cats with local communities in the region. The approach combines responses to predation incidents, preventive measures, training, community engagement, and institutional coordination. A structured protocol guides these actions, including assessment, mitigation, and continuous monitoring. On a regional scale, the Tri-national Coexistence Network strengthens cooperation between Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. The solution helps reduce conflicts, increase tolerance, and promote the conservation of the jaguar in the landscape.

“La Senda del Huemul” is a conservation and environmental education initiative implemented in Cerro Castillo National Park (Aysén Region, Chile) with the aim of raising awareness of the critical situation of the huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus), an endemic and endangered deer species, and to strengthen the link between local communities and the protected area. This project is the result of joint work between local park rangers, local organizations, the Advisory Council, and other relevant actors involved in the management of the National Park.

The trail was designed as a two-day trekking route that covers a significant section of the park, incorporating interpretive components and experiential activities so that participants can understand the threats facing the huemul, its biology, its habitat, and the importance of its conservation in relation to the Patagonian forests, meadows, and hills that sustain it. 

Through a recreational activity, it is possible to directly help protect the huemul.

The concept of legally binding contracts dates back over 4,000 years. It is based on well-established principles and practices in all legal systems on the planet. However, news challenges arise from the fact that the emerging frameworks to implement the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) adds atypical elements that have never before been addressed by contract law. An ABS contract is an agreement between governments, indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs), researchers and / or companies regarding access to and use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. The main purpose is to ensure the sharing of benefits arising from subsequent use, application and commercialization. Although every ABS contract is unique in its benefit-sharing section, it nevertheless shares certain characteristics with ordinary contracts. The training aims at legal and technical experts dealing with biodiversity, research and development and commercial use of genetic resources.

In 1999, Danone acquired the Villavicencio mineral water brand and ownership of 64,000 hectares of land where the product originates. In line with the company’s objectives, it was voluntarily decided to dedicate this territory to private conservation.

Thus, in 2000, the Villavicencio Nature Reserve was created, the only privately managed reserve in the province.

As a food company, it was limited in its ability to carry out specific conservation actions. It was decided to conduct a pilot test with an external operator to see if it was feasible to generate tourism services. The test was positive. A business plan was developed and presented internally to the company, approved, and the Villavicencio Foundation was created in 2014 to professionalize and specialize the management of the area.

This allowed for progress on various projects and improved sustainability, with the challenge of sustaining the management and conservation costs of the protected natural area.