For a long time, the Galeras Flora and Fauna Sanctuary ‘s ecosystems suffered from the negative effects of human population growth in the surrounding rural/urban areas. This considerably affected both the ecosystem goods and services offered by the Sanctuary and its connectivity with other protected areas (and its zone of influence). However, since 1998, and with the implementation of the“Policy for Social Participation in Conservation”, it was possible to promote several initiatives that contributed to improve representativeness and ecological connectivity under forms of shared governance. In addition, thanks to the commitment of peasant communities, local authorities, private landowners and other stakeholders, progress has been made in the creation of local reserves and civil society nature reserves, which are currently making an invaluable contribution to the conservation of strategic ecosystems.