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Friends and colleagues,

The month of November was one of the key moments in the history of our planet but there is much work left to do. After the Climate Summit, there are many commitments to be assured and also regional and global challenges to face. The closing of COP26 was not as expected, but we must accelerate the implementation of climate action and continue working for a future of 1.5ºC. The end of the month also brought in International Jaguar Day on November 29, which WWF-LAC promotes to further conservation efforts of the largest feline in the Americas.

This was our regional work carried out in November:

In Wildlife practice, WWF-Ecuador, WWF-Peru and Omacha Foundation launched the Napo-Aguarico 2021 expedition and went in search of river dolphins in the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon.

With regards to the Food practice, WWF-Colombia together with other partners launched an online course for the gastronomic and tourism sector to learn sustainable practices. Mexico also launched its first sustainable livestock roundtable with support from partners and local authorities.

In Governance, WWF-Ecuador delivered to the national authorities the Youth Manifesto for a Sustainable Future for Ecuador.

Concerning Markets, in Peru within the framework of the AGRAP project, workshops were developed to present educational methodologies with a gender and youth approach for Farmers Field Schools.

Lastly, with work in the educational field, in Bolivia, the Mini Student Water Summit brought together more than 125 children and teachers to talk about the caring of this vital resource. Meanwhile, Argentina celebrated the second anniversary of the citizen science platform ArgentiNat.org.

Enjoy this new edition,

Roberto Troya

Vice president & Regional Director

WWF-LAC

Results of the COP26 Climate Summit

Although the closing of COP26 was disappointing, it left open an opportunity for a future of 1.5ºC. Despite the fact that there wasn’t the radical change in the pace and scale of climate action and the final text was far from perfect, we are moving in the right direction.

During the summit, different announcements were made from the countries of the region regarding forests, marine ecosystems, protected areas, cities and the role of non-state actors. Indigenous communities, mainly Amazonian, had a prominent presence and made their voice heard, making visible the role of their territories in the face of climate change. Latin America demonstrated the relevance of climate action, however, implementation still needs to be strengthened and accelerated and the effort increased to contribute to closing the gap, aligning climate commitments with the Paris Agreement by the end of next year.

Napo Aguarico expedition: in search of the home of the river dolphin

WWF-Ecuador, WWF-Peru and Omacha Foundation launched the 2021 Napo-Aguarico expedition. Scientists and researchers traveled more than 200 kilometers between the Ecuadorian and Peruvian Amazon with two key objectives: estimate the population of pink and gray dolphins in rivers Napo, Yasuní, and Aguarico; and place satellite trackers on two dolphins in the black waters of the Lagartococha River. Despite the intense heat and the burning humidity, the excitement of returning to the jungle to gather information was greater, managing to observe 74 dolphins in 9 days of the expedition.

Online course on sustainable practices for the food and tourism sector

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), WWF Colombia launched a free online sustainable gastronomy course, for chefs, managers, waiters, cooks, teachers, students and others involved with the hotel and restaurant sector. This was also in partnership with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism. With seven learning modules and several success stories, the course offers a journey through all the necessary phases to turn sustainability into simple actions that benefit tourism businesses and reduce environmental impacts. The course also addresses how to apply measures that reduce food waste, improve business relationships with suppliers, promote gastronomic culture, boost local production and increase the tourist offer of destinations. 

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Mexico launches its first Sustainable Livestock Roundtable

To further sustainable livestock practices in Mexico, the Mexican Sustainable Livestock Roundtable (MRGSM) has been legally established as the national chapter of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB). With the mission of “contributing to the sustainability of the country’s livestock supply chain, and considering social, environmental, and economic factors through cooperation from its members,” the Roundtable seeks to promote best livestock practices with nature-based solutions and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The National Confederation of Livestock Organizations (CNOG) oversees this initiative in which actors from all levels of the livestock value chain and civil society participate.

The Youth Manifiesto for a Sustainable Future for Ecuador was delivered

WWF-Ecuador delivered to the General Secretary of the Presidency, Sergio Iannuzzelli, and the Minister of the Environment, Gustavo Manrique, the Youth Manifesto for a Sustainable Future for Ecuador, generated within the framework of Earth Hour 2021. This way, WWF supports the raising of voices of hundreds of young people from all regions in the country who joined their concerns, ideas, and proposals in this document, such as the conservation of species and ecosystems, protecting the livelihood of local communities and environmental regulation and monitoring. This was addressed to authorities and political and economic leaders.

Tambopata and Tahuamanu are pioneers in promoting regenerativa and sustainable y livestock in Madre  de Dios

Within the framework of the Project "Alliance for Regenerative Livestock in the Peruvian Amazon" (AGRAP), several workshop were held to introduce educational methodologies with with a gender and youth approach for Farmers Field Schools with the aim of promoting the empowerment of female farmers and the transfer of knowledge to new generations. This will include three programs: Sustainable Livestock Farmers, Women Livestock Farmers and Little Livestock Farmers of the Future, which will all focus on sustainable livestock practices.

Children discussed about water care at the Mini Student Water Summit

Last month, the Mini Student Water Summit was held as part of the project "Children, Agents of the New Water Culture". More than 125 people, including students, teachers and directors of 33 Educational Units of the District of Tiquipaya, of the city of Cochabamba participated.

The objective of the event focused on generating commitments and proposing actions to contribute to social agreements on the conservation of water sources and risk management in the southern slope of Tunari National Park. As a result of the event, a document of social agreements was obtained and it was made through the eyes of young students, the future custodians of water in the area.

The second anniversary of the citizen science platform ArgentiNat.org was celebrated

November 21 marked two years since the launch of ArgentiNat.org, the Argentinian node of iNaturalist, one of the most important citizen science platforms in the world. Since then 450,000 new observations have been uploaded: on average, about 600 per day. In this way, half a million observations were exceeded, five times the number registered for the country at the beginning of the project. From Vida Silvestre it is always said that you cannot value or protect what you do not know and this is one of the best ways to do it.