The governments of 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries agreed to promote the important role of protected areas (PAs) as natural solutions to address climate change at the climate summit in Paris at year end. Supported by WWF, REDPARQUES - the Latin American technical cooperation network on protected areas - signed a declaration to improve and multiply PA development in the region, and called on the UN Framework Commission on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to integrate PAs in climate discussions and plans. REDPARQUES notes there are over 30,000 PAs worldwide, covering an estimated 13 per cent of the planet’s surface, and stresses the role of PAs in preventing release of carbon from vegetation and soil, in providing water for human use, and protecting biodiversity.