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Dear friends and colleagues,

For WWF, the beginning of 2017 also represented the beginning of great conservation initiatives and projects  in Latin America & the Caribbean. In Panama, indigenous communities and other stakeholders signed an agreement to promote legal wood. WWF-Guianas and the EU launched the project “Promoting Integrated and Participatory Ocean Governance in Guyana and Suriname". WWF-Ecuador and other entities launched the new “Observation Report System for Naturalist Guides”. In Peru, 200 research authorizations were approved in 38 Natural Protected Areas. In Chile, WWF became a member of the government's committee for the ecological restoration of the zone affected by forest fires. In Paraguay, WWF signed a bilateral cooperation agreement with the National Emergency Secretariat. WWF-Brazil removed 20 thousand colonies of sun coral to give the native species a chance of survival. Caribe Maya, a sustainable tourism initiative promoted by WWF Guatemala / Mesoamerica and the BID, got awarded.  In Latin America, WWF compiled and published a selection of its achievements in 2016. At a global level, 2017 kicked-off with climate and fisheries alerts for the world. Enjoy the reading,

Roberto Troya

Vice President &  Regional Director, WWF-LAC

Panama signs an agreement to promote legal timber

On January 19th, the voices of indigenous communities, producers and traders, as well as the Panamanian Government and other stakeholders converged in the signing of the Agreement for the Creation of the Legal Timber Network. This, according to Carlos Espinosa Peña (WWF-Panama Office Director), “is an important action in the fight against illegal logging", which seeks to promote responsible commerce between wood buyers and producers whose goods come from legal sources and sustainably managed forests. “This proves that the National Government and the main supporters of the forestry business can work together in order to gain a sustainable, secure and legal market”, said Mirei Endara, Minister for the Environment of Panama.

The latest project by WWF Guianas brings forward the Oceans Practice with direct results

The end of January marked the official launch, in both Suriname and Guyana, of "Promoting Integrated and Participatory Ocean Governance in Guyana and Suriname: the Eastern Gate to the Caribbean", a new project dedicated to Marine ecosystems, lead by WWF Guinas with the help of key local stakeholders and funded by the European Union. The project aims at strengthening conservation and sustainable use efforts of government, ocean users and conservation organizations to protect the biodiversity and wildlife of an utterly peculiar and unique ecosystem that includes vulnerable species such as marine turtles and giant marine mammals (a great variety of dolphins and whales). It does so using two equally important tools: innovation and participation. Through the use of cutting edge technology, the project in fact aims at constructing a 3D model of the Ocean bed in the EEZ, thus delivering a hands on and engaging instrument, which is set to become pivotal in raising awareness and capacity across all key stakeholders.

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Naturalist guides take the lead on the “citizen science” strategy for monitoring of protected areas at the Galapagos.

This month, WWF-Ecuador joined efforts with the Galapagos’ National Park and the Tourism Observatory to launch the new Observation Report System for Naturalist Guides. This tool represents a key element in understanding the impact caused by the development of tourist activity in protected areas and will allow multiple stakeholders to take timely decisions concerning this issue. These reports will allow to identify the presence of invasive species, garbage residues in the Marine Reserve, conflicts with other activities undertaken in the area, as well as to keep a track of sightings of emblematic and migratory species. Such indicators represent a diagnosis on the current state of the Galapagos.

 

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Monitoring with Camera Traps: Experience in the Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary

2016 marked a historic milestone with the approval of nearly 200 authorizations for scientific research in 38 Natural Protected Areas (ANP), a result of the simplification of administrative procedures, reported the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP). Thanks to this strategy that prioritizes to expand the network of partners to investigate in the ANPs, SERNANP together with WWF-Peru presented a Document N ° 24 "Design for the Monitoring of Andean Bear and Mountain Tapir using Camera Traps, in the Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary (SNTN)”.

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WWF Chile is member of the government's committee for the ecological restoration of the zone affected by forest fires

Ministry of the Environment to form part of the Ecological Restoration Committee that will evaluate the damage caused to the natural heritage by the massive wildfires in Chile. In addition, the committee will determine the priorities for implementing restoration actions, the requirements for such actions and the recognition of the degree of degradation and pressures in those environments to initiate ecological restoration projects in the areas most affected by the fire. In this regard, WWF Chile has presented proposals to contribute to the process of ecological restoration and prevention of forestal disasters in a context of climate change.

WWF Paraguay signs a bilateral cooperation agreement with the National Emergency Secretariat

Minister Joaquín Roa and Country Director Lucy Aquino signed a bilateral cooperation agreement that contains the foundations for future works with a public institution that has a large impact in environmental and social subjects. The document was signed at the "Symposium for World Wetlands Day" on February 2nd., where national and international exhibitors discussed various topics such as the importance of these ecosystems for disaster reduction and the need for their conservation. The list of experts included Julio Sampaio from WWF - Brazil and Alfonso Llobet from WWF - Bolivia.

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WWF-Brazil carries out expedition for the withdrawal of 20 thousand colonies of sun coral

The species Tubastraea tagusensis and Tubastraea coccinea attack the Atlantic Ocean and threaten native species in the second biggest protected marine area in Brazil: the Alcatrazes Archipelago. The expedition was carried out between January 06 and 10 with the participation of volunteers and partners from ICMBio and Unifesp and it’s part of the preservation process of the archipelago, that has been having expeditions like this since 2013. The goal is to give the native species a chance of survival by the containment of the sun coral proliferation in the area. More information (in Portuguese):

Caribe Maya, a sustainable tourism initiative gets awarded

Caribe Maya, a sustainable tourism initiative with community basis in Central America received the “Excellence Spirit” award during the International Tourism Fair in Madrid.  This initiative is promoted by WWF Guatemala / Mesoamerica with support from the Inter-American Development Bank (BID) as the administrator of the Multilateral Investments Fund (FOMIN).   This initiative will promote sustainable tourism in Izabal, Guatemala and the northern coast of Honduras, which are part of the Mesoamerican Reef System.  With this, community livelihoods will be supported and specifically 12 sustainable tourism ventures will be promoted; 6 of them in Guatemala and the other 6 in Honduras.  More information in:

A Year of Progress in Conservation for Latin America & the Caribbean

In 2016, WWF´s management in Latin America was effective. The work of our offices in their countries and the initiatives we manage from the Regional Secretariat to generate conditions and promote strategies and conservation actions paid off. On behalf of the regional offices and the WWF-LAC team, I am proud to share this selection of 2016 Achievements.

2016 declared the hottest year on record

Earth’s surface temperatures in 2016 shattered all previous record highs since modern record keeping began in 1880, NASA and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced today. This is the third consecutive year of record warmth for the globe. And much of the warming is attributed to climatechange

Millions of people in developing countries could be without access to fish by 2050

A new report on the future of the world fish supply commissioned by WWF-Germany determined that by 2050, millions of people in developing countries will not be able to access fish, which is now a major source of food and protein.