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Friends and colleagues,

This month the global and regional efforts for the conservation of biodiversity have been the protagonists. The Convention on Biological Diversity brought together high-level leaders and the call for a New Deal for Nature and People was heard. LAC held a side-event during the CBD to launch the Jaguar 2030 Roadmap that outlines the conservation strategies for the jaguar in its 18 distribution range countries; and Herencia Colombia was recognized as an effective strategy for compliance with the country's commitments regarding conservation, sustainable development and climate change.

In Oceans, Guatemala launched the Coastal Lists project for the protection of the reef system, while WWF-Ecuador and its partners presented a new model for electronic fishing logs to shrimp fisheries in the Guayaquil Gulf.

In relation to Freshwater, Mexico presented its progress on wetlands protection with the national Water Reserves model, which is now a reference for Latin America and the world. And Colombia continues to gather leaders and communities in their Regional Meetings for Water to address problems and provide solutions for the recovery and conservation of watersheds.

With respect to Forests, Peru, in cooperation with the local sector, invested to recover the forests of the Madre de Dios region.

In Governance, WWF-Chile, together with the Chilean and regional financial sector of Chile, organized the seminar "Environmental, Social and Governance Risks: From Theory to Practice."

In the regional Finance work, the Bolivian National Service of Protected Areas prepared for financial sustainability with the "Experiences of Financial Sustainability of Protected Areas" workshop.

Finally, in Markets, WWF-Paraguay and the retail sector partnered up to strengthen responsible consumption.

Enjoy the latest edition of our monthly newsletter,

Roberto Troya

Vice president & Regional Director

WWF-LAC

Latin América has a new plan to save the to save the jaguar

In an unprecedented effort to save the jaguar, Latin American countries in this species’ distribution range and international conservation organizations came together to launch the Jaguar 2030 Roadmap during the Fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP-14) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Efforts to save the jaguar have much larger impacts than simply protecting this species. The successful conservation of this feline can help conserve forests, biodiversity, river basins and cultural heritage sites, while contributing to the fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement and Aichi Biodiversity Targets.

Smart Coasts project begins in the Mesoamerican Reef System

Recently released through the support of the International Climate Initiative, the Smart Coasts project aims to mainstream climate-smart principles into Marine Protected Area management and coastal development policies in countries bordering the Mesoamerican Reef –Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras– with a view to improve the adaptive capacities of coastal communities in the region.

The first workshop with partners from these countries was conducted in Belize to collect and synthesize information from four project field sites on priority climate change impacts and future risks to communities and ecosystem services; benefits of ecosystem-based adaptation (EBA) in project communities; and analyze possible future thresholds of change for services and key species.

Ecuador adopts an electronic fishing logbooks system

WWF-US and WWF-Ecuador, in cooperation with the deputy secretary of fisheries and the fishing sector, developed and successfully tested an electronic logbook that provides timely and reliable fishing data that contributes to the management of the entire industrial fishing fleet of pomada shrimp, as well to address Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing and ensure access to export markets.

This is an important milestone for fishery management in Ecuador, which has the potential of being reproduced in other national fisheries, as well as other countries in the region. 

Wetlands protection progress for Latin America and the rest of the world

After three years of work, following the approval of Resolution XII. 12 by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP 12), the WWF-Río Arronte Foundation Alliance presented its progress in implementing the ecological flow and the Mexican Water Reserve model that protects water for these ecosystems during COP 13. Representatives from Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Peru and Spain discussed needs for reproducing this model in Latin America during the Achievements of the National Water Reserves Program in Mexico. A follow up of Resolution XII.12: challenges and advances side-event. María Rivera, the advisor for the Americas, and Royal Gardner, the chair of the Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) for the Ramsar Convention, both applauded Mexico’s achievements for protecting the country’s water.

Freshwater: a primary issue in Colombian regions

About 80% of the Colombian population lives in 2 of the country’s 5 macrobasins, Magdalena-Cauca and the Caribbean, that generate 75% of the total hydropower and 80% of the national GDP. The current scenario requires a constructive dialogue among the national and regional governments, the private sector and civil society in order to discuss challenges and promote effective conservation actions in these river basins. In fact, this has been the aim of the Regional Encounters for Water, an initiative of WWF-Colombia and the newspaper El Espectador in partnership with Isagen and Bavaria, over the last six years that visited six cities (Cucuta, Cali, Medellín, Cartagena, Bucaramanga and Manizales) in 2018 and gathered more than 300 decisionmakers, including local communities, academic institutions, the private sector, local authorities and civil society organizations. 

Local municipalities invest in reforestation

In the first half of 2018, the Peruvian Amazon lost over 23,000 hectares of forest, according to the Peru Ministry of Environment (MINAM). Over 2,700 hectares have been deforested and 160,000 hectares have been destroyed in the last 15 years in the region of Tambopata, in Madre de Dios, alone. Confronted with such a dire situation, the agreements led by local governments have received significant funds for the promotion of natural resource conservation and sustainable use. 

The Chilean financial sector: a key ally for conservation and sustainable development

WWF, together with RaboFinance Chile and the UN Environment Financial Initiative (UNEP FI), organized the seminar “Environmental, Social and Governance Risks: From Theory to Practice”. The activity, unprecedented in the country, involved bank representatives, institutional investors and asset managers responsible for the credit risk, policy and operations of the Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance Management (ASG) with important clients from various productive areas in Latin America.

Preparing for financial sustainability in Protected Areas

The Experiences of Financial Sustainability of Protected Areas workshop, organized by the National Service of Protected Areas (SERNAP) and WWF in Bolivia, was held on October 17^th and 18^th in the city of La Paz. The event was attended by specialists from Colombia, Brazil and Peru who presented their initiatives and shared experiences related to financial sustainability.

WWF Paraguay and the retail sector join efforts to strengthen responsible consumption

Responsible consumption focused on the consumer is encouraged through a joint effort between the Paraguayan Chamber of Supermarkets (CAPASU) and WWF-Paraguay. WWF-Paraguay promoted the participation of Paulo Pianez, Sustainability and Social Responsibility Director of Carrefour Brazil during the 20th edition of this chamber’s annual convention. Pianez talked about the experience of Carrefour and its contribution to environmental sustainability, food safety and the importance of informing consumers about their options.

Paulo Pianez also met with the members of the Paraguayan Global Compact, and was the main speaker of the "How to do sustainable business with the value chain" conference.