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2016: A Year of Progress in Conservation for the Region

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.

Among other results, there were new protected areas, an increased sustainable production, reforestation plans and more determined commitments to nature. The synergies with partners and allies, the dynamism of each office and the coordination of the Regional Secretariat of LAC, contributed to the fulfillment of our global mission.

On behalf of the regional offices and the WWF-LAC team, I am proud to share this selection of 2016 Achievements.

Roberto Troya
Vice President and Regional Director , WWF-LAC

Together Possible.

North Andes

Alliance for the Moors in the North Andes

The European Union, Alexander von Humboldt Institute, five regional autonomous corporations and 2 international NGOs have joined to strengthen the protection the of biodiversity and the water resources of seven moors in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

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Bolivia

WWF and ABT Promote Reforestation in Bolivia

The Municipal Autonomous Government of Santa Rosa del Sara, Department of Santa Cruz, promoted the implementation of the Project 'Reforestation and Forest Plantations in Ecological Easements', which is executed after an agreement between WWF and ABT. During the first stage, the project aimed to reforest 150 hectares in 8 months.

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Chile

More than 10% of Salmon Production in Chile Is Certified Under the Label ASC

Between 2015 and two months of 2016, over a 10% of salmon production in Chile (equivalent to over 100 thousand), was certified under the international label ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council), after three years of becoming an available certification and being presented and promoted by WWF in the country as one of the most stringent environmental and social issues.

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LAC

Latin America Shone a Light on Climate Action and Its Natural Icons

On March 19, plazas, stadiums and iconic landmarks turned off their lights all over the region. As part of the Latin American campaign, we held a competition in which the emblematic species and the natural wonders from each country participated. The victory was for the Andean Bear, which represented Peru with the Jaguar.

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Ecuador

Ecuador Approves the New Zoning Scheme in Galapagos and Creates a Marine Sanctuary to Protect Sharks

The Ecuadorian government approved the new zoning fot he Galapagos Park and Galapagos Marine Reserve. The new zoning system, supported technically and finacially by WWF in Ecuador, represents a major conservation achievement since it increases the conservation aeras significantly. Under the new scheme, 59% of the terrestrial National Park becomes a no-take zone, while in the case of the Marine Reserve the new no-take zone increases from less than 1% to 33%. The government also created the first marine sanctuary in Ecuador, which was promoted by National Geographic's Pristine Seas Team and WWF's partner Charles Darwin Foundation.

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Colombia

WWF and Animal Planet United Their Forces for Colombia’s Nature

A two week production, a team of six professionals, a journey through Colombia’s geographical extremes and more than six months of preparations. WWF and Animal Planet united their forces for Colombia’s nature and made eight videos that will air in all Latin America in May and June.

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Brazil

WWF-Brazil in Google Social Impact Challenge 2016

WWF-Brazil was one of the 10 finalists in the Brazilian edition of Google Social Impact Challenge 2016 with an initiative that promotes citizen engagement in the fight against Aedes mosquitoes.

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Argentina

Jaguar Is Honored in the 500 Peso Bill in Argentina

The Central Bank of Argentina presented the new 500-peso bill, which honors the jaguar. It was presented at an event that included mentions of Wildlife work. The Bank Museum will hold an exhibition with contents and information about the jaguar, where wildlife materials will be distributed.

Chile

WWF Chile Is Recognized in the World Environment Day

WWF Chile receives award for its environmental work of the past in the region of Los Rios, mainly its support to the secondary water regulation of the Valdivian basin, as well as the support in the " Reduce Los Ríos'' campaign to promote the reduction in the use of plastic bags in 12 communes of the region.

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Peru

First Three Indigenous Reserves Are Created in Peru

In July 2016, The supreme decree approved the categorization of three indigenous reserves in order to protect the rights, habitats and conditions that ensure the existence and integrity of the Indigenous Groups in isolation and initial contact situation (PIACI). These are the Mashco Piro, Murunahua and Isconahua Indigenous reserves,located in the Ucayali region, which together add a territory of 1´575,850.66 hectares.A number of institutions supported the process, including WWF-Peru, which, together with the NGO ProPurús, were in charge of the development of the Additional Categorization Studies of the Mashco Piro and Murunahua Territorial Reserves, as well as the IBC was in charge of the study corresponding to the Territorial Reserve Isconahua.

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Guatemala

Innovation in Guatemala: A Mobile App To Reduce Water Consumption.

In Guatemala, WWF and the local partner Foundation ''Defensores de la Naturaleza'' developed a mobile application called "Duchapp" that allows to reduce the consumption of water during the shower. It is based on a song that lasts less than 5 minutes and guides the steps in which a person can bathe, without wasting water. The application is free and is expected to be used in Latin America and other countries of the world.

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Mexico

Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Reserve: 40% Decline in Illegal Logging

The forests monitoring report found that 72.3 hectares of forest in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve were degraded between 2015 – 2016: 74.6% due to trees falling from very strong winds and storms, 16.4% due to illegal logging, and 9% due to drought. During the same period, illegal logging declined 40% due to a combination of enforcement by the federal government and financial support to the local communities by the Monarch Fund, WWF and Mexican and international philanthropists and businesses. Although the decline in illegal logging is a positive sign, illegal logging must be eradicated and degraded areas need to be restored.

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Ecuador

Five Projects Focused on the Environmental Recovery of the Communities Most Affected by the Earthquake in Ecuador

WWF-Ecuador, in coordination with local strategic partners, has been able to develop five projects that support the recovery of local communities severely affected by earthquake in Ecuador, on April 16th. All of the projects have been collaborative exercises with our partners and local communities to identify emerging needs, focusing on medium and long-term processes that are directly related with the environment, such as improvement of livelihoods of rural communities, waste management/sanitation and the distribution of fresh water for human consumption. We estimate around 1800 families have directly benefited from these projects.

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Mesoamerica

Watershed Management Plans in Guatemala, Honduras and Belize

WWF Guatemala / Mesoamerica is currently implementing assessments and conservation management plans in four watersheds located in Guatemala (Pasabien and Teculután), Honduras (Manchaguala) and Belize (Belize River). The purpose is to establish a link between biodiversity conservation and water management parallel to economic growth and the population’s needs.These watersheds share a common vision: to be model watersheds within the Mesoamerican Reef región were harmonization between natural and heritage and a productive matrix improve livelihoods constantly and sustainably. Moreover, they effectively promote high environmental quality and risk management, with emphasis on extreme weather events. These management plans are proposed for a 10-year period, considering the current watershed situation, especially with regards to the organization and the local stakeholders’ capacities.

Guyana

WWF´s Work Is Empowering the Local Communities of the Amazon

WWF-Guianas and the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB), with funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), today, October 17th, 2016, launched their Opt-in Readiness Project in Annai, North Rupununi. The project will prepare the 7,000 people in nineteen indigenous communities that inhabit this region in South Guyana to become active participants and beneficiaries of Guyana’s Green Development.

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Paraguay

The Paris Agreement Becomes National Law in Paraguay

WWF-Paraguay, a member of the National Commission on Climate Change, has been support throughout the entirety of the adoption of the commitments that were negotiated during the XXI Conference on Climate Change (COP21). It is now a legal mandate and serves as the National Development Plan through 2030. Paraguay has also signed to implement 85% with the Global Sustainable Development Agenda to 2030, of which the country is also a signatory.

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Belize

Oil Exploration Plans Suspended in Belize

On October 17, 2016, the Government of Belize announced its plans to initiate an exploration of oil on the high seas, through a vast portion of its waters in the Caribbean Sea.The tests would be conducted just one kilometer from the World Heritage site of the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, which has been labeled "endangered" by UNESCO.WWF and its partners held several meetings with civil society and other actions to avoid these plans and achieved their goal: An agreement with the government to suspend the seismic testing of oil exploration at the site.

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Bolivia

Bolivia Commits to Reduce and Eliminate Mercury Emissions

Bolivia commits to reduce and eliminate mercury emissions, emanating from human-based activities, into the atmosphere and the environment. As a first step the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Environment and Water, presented the book Mercury in Bolivia: Baseline assessment of uses, emissions and pollution. WWF’s role was key in the study and will be important in reducing mercury use in the country.

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Brazil

A Victory from Civil Society: Brazilian President Vetoes Article and Says NO to Coal

After one month of intense efforts of WWF and other NGOs, the Brazilian Presidency of the Republic vetoed the inclusion of an article with incentives to coal in their legislation. The inclusion was made in the midst of several amendments in a non-related bill. In the decision, they recognized that coal-fired power plants are against international agreements to which Brazil is a signatory.

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Colombia

Colombia Declares New Protected Area To Preserve One of the Country’s Most Important Rivers

The Alto Atrato region, located in the Colombian department of Chocó, is home to one of the country’s most valuable ecosystems. It is also the source of one of the Nation’s greater rivers, the Atrato. Thanks to the joint effort of WWF, Codechocó, the municipality of El Carmen de Atrato and the Constructores de Paz foundation, a 18,000-hectare DMI (Integrated Management District) protected area was declared. This will allow us to restore and preserve priceless ecosystems of paramo and subparamo, as well as high Andean and Andean forests in the beautiful Pacific region.

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Paraguay

Paraguay Recently Finished ParLu Project (Paraguay Land Use) and Starts New Challenges in the Regions of Chaco and Pantanal

Some of the achievements of the project, finished in 2016; “Protecting Forests for the Beneﬁt of Climate, People and Nature in Paraguay” (Paraguay Land Use) or ParLU, are: the implementation, validity and extension of the Zero Deforestation Law, as it is known in Paraguay, and the proposal since the beginning of a participatory and inclusive design of REDD+ in the National Strategic Plan, the assistance to approximately 400 families in 5 Municipalities and the active participation of authorities in successive COP / CMPs of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The German Government already have announced they will work with WWF again in a new project called "International Climate Initiative" (IKI), in order to continue working in the benefit of Chaco and also Pantanal.

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LAC´s International highlights

SCROLL SOUTH

UN Member States Adopt a New Urban Agenda in Latin America

WWF acknowledges the hard work of Member States and the Habitat III Secretariat to have reach consensus on the New Urban Agenda, aimed at addressing the existing and emerging challenges in urban development. WWF further welcomes the active contributions and participation of all stakeholders and civil society in the drafting process and in the diversity of activities, views and inspiration contributed to the conference over the last three days.

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COP22 Climate Summit Ends in Marrakech

In response to the closure of COP22, Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, the international leader in WWF's climate and energy practice, issued the following statement:

The UN climate talks continue to have twists and turns, but they have achieved what is needed this week: to put substance behind the promise of the Paris Agreement so that it can be fully implemented. The work in Marrakech has not been the most glamorous, but it is a key step in the chain reaction necessary for the development of the agreement.
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COP13 Concludes in Cancun

Following the closure of COP13 on the Convention on Biological Diversity in Cancun, Mexico, Adrian Dellecker, Director of Global Policy Promotion (a.i.) of WWF International stated:

The success of Cancun lies in the bold decision taken to deepen the integration of biodiversity values into other sectors. Delegates also decided to have a clear process towards 2020, including consideration of energy and mining, infrastructure, production and health in decision-making for the 2018 Conference of the Parties in Egypt.