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Friends and colleagues,

For conservation work there can't, and shouldn't, be a lost year. Nature is being transformed and destroyed at an unprecedented rate in history, with a very high cost to the well-being of the planet and humanity. That is why we must act now at all levels and on all fronts.

Regarding Wildlife, we have just released the Living Planet Report 2020 and its findings reflect a high loss of biodiversity in monitored populations in Latin America.

Within the Oceans Practice, WWF-Chile developed a guide for the planning and management of Marine Protected Areas. In contrast, WWF-Ecuador, together with WWF- Netherlands, made available an emergency fund that will provide 6 tags and a satellite channel to four whale sharks in Galapagos Islands.

With regards to Forests, the Alliance for Wildlife and Forests presented a preliminary report on illegal logging trends and recommendations to promote legal timber trade in Peru. Meanwhile, the Amazon chestnut from the Manuripi Reserve achieved international certification. In addition, WWF-Paraguay and the National Forest Institute developed a tool to optimize the forest monitoring system in Paraguay.

Concerning the Climate and Energy Practice, WWF-Mesoamerica continues positioning Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Guatemala with the support of different sectors. Moreover, WWF-Colombia is leading the participation and communications strategy for updating the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).

In Food, WWF-Mexico taught the course "Social responsibility in food systems" for 245 university students from different states of México.

Finally, in relation to Governance, Fundación Vida Silvestre held the third edition of its annual event for talks and reflection: Yurumí, in Argentina.

Enjoy this new edition,

Roberto Troya

Vice president & Regional Director

WWF-LAC

Latin America is rapidly losing its biodiversity

The 2020 edition of the Living Planet Report, the scientific publication that evaluates the health of the planet every two years, revealed that biodiversity decline in Latin America and the Caribbean is the highest among all regions, with an average decrease of 94% in vertebrate populations studied between 1970 and 2016. Land use change to produce food is one of the main causes for this phenomenon.

Tagging of 4 whale sharks will provide crucial information for its preservation

WWF-Netherlands and WWF-Ecuador made available an emergency fund that will provide 6 tags and a satellite channel to four whale sharks in Galápagos Islands. The partners of this project will be the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park, the Galapagos Whale Shark Project, and the Galapagos Science Center. The donation will provide relevant and necessary data to delimit protection zones and ensure the conservation of these iconic species. Also, WWF-Ecuador reiterates its call to the Ecuadorian State to take measures in the short, medium and long term to ensure the conservation of marine biodiversity, the sustainability of fishing resources and the resilience of its seas.

WWF-Chile develops a guide for Marine Protected Areas

The recent publication by WWF-Chile, “Guide for the planning and management of Marine Protected Areas with the participation of local and/or indigenous communities based on the Standards for Conservation,” was created to be used by technical specialists at NGOs, public institutions, community leaders and people linked to the management of marine protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). The guide was developed by WWF-Chile under the scope of the “Integrated effort for the conservation of the biodiversity of the Patagonian Sea” project, supported by Oceans 5 and the Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian Sea and Areas of Influence.

Report on illegal logging and recommendations for the legal timber trade in Peru

A recent report by WWF and the Alliance for Wildlife and Forests, with funding from the European Union, issues recommendations to promote the legal timber trade. The document arises from the identification of strengths and weaknesses in forest governance, as well as an analysis of traceability systems and forest certification schemes in Peru. It is focused on the regions of Ucayali, Loreto and Madre de Dios, the three most important areas for the extraction of wood in the Peruvian Amazon, which faces problems of illegality and deforestation. In addition, the report was presented to civil society, authorities and the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office during four workshops.

Amazon chestnut from the Manuripi Reserve receives international certification

This year, despite the challenges that have arisen due to the health crisis, the Amazon chestnut from the Manuripi Reserve was granted an international certification. This will benefit 8 different communities and 21 farms within the Manuripi Amazon National Wildlife Reserve. The total area adds up to 345 thousand hectares and is located in the Pando Department.

Technology and conservation: a new tool optimizes forest monitoring in Paraguay

The National Forestry Institute and WWF-Paraguay developed a tool called "Spatial Prioritization of GLAD Alerts in Paraguay". It allows the identification of recent cases of illegal deforestation in priority areas for conservation, considering environmental and legal criteria, in an automated, objective and transparent way. This project, which was made possible thanks to funding from Global Forest Watch, included a virtual training program and will publish video tutorials and a user's guide on WWF-Paraguay’s website, to facilitate the application of the tool.

Ecosystem-based Adaptation receives multisectoral support in Guatemala

With the support of the International Climate Initiative (IKI), the Climate Integration-Sustainable Development Goals Project continues to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda in Guatemala through Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA). WWF-Mesoamerica is a part of this project, which is contributing to the development of a political environment and multi-stakeholder commitments that favor the recognition of EbA and allow its implementation on a larger scale.

WWF-Mexico educates university students on Food Loss and Waste

From August to September 2020, WWF-Mexico taught the course “Social Responsibility in Food Systems: An Approach from Food Loss and Waste” to professors and students of gastronomy, tourism and social responsibility from three of the most renowned universities in the country: Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana, Universidad Anáhuac and Universidad del Valle de México. A total of 245 people from different states of the republic participated.

The course was organized to raise awareness and to develop capacities to reduce or avoid Food Loss and Waste (PDA).

WWF-Colombia torwards the update of its NDC

In order to promote compliance with the country's climate commitments, WWF-Colombia is leading the outreach and communications strategy for updating its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). The NDC will be presented to the UNFCCC Secretariat before the end of the year, to comply with the provisions of the Paris Agreement. Along with the country's Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, WWF is working so that specialists on the subject, climate change actors in the territories, ethnic and peasant communities, and Colombians in general, can contribute to the document. The content includes the updated NDC, the mitigation and adaptation actions that Colombia will carry out to meet its goal, as well as the means of implementation through which it would achieve it.

Fundación Vida Silvestre held its third annual Yurumí event

During September 15 and 17, Fundación Vida Silvestre held a free series of virtual talks to debate and reflect about the economic and humanitarian crisis that led us to the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this reveals social, health and environmental vulnerabilities and inequalities. More than 500 people participated on the webinars, with more than 6,000 views. The panels included several key figures, such as Marcela Uhart, Latin American Program Director for One Health Institute, Roberto Troya, Regional Director for WWF-LAC, Manuel Jaramillo, General Manager for Fundación Vida Silvestre, Yolanda Kakabadse, President of the Advisory Council for WWF-LAC, and the President of Fundación Vida Silvestre, Marina Harteneck.