Spanish

Dear friends and colleagues

Last month, Latin America and the Caribbean had a leading role in the conservation of Oceans & Protected Areas. Belize introduced a landmark legislation to establish a permanent moratorium on offshore oil activity in the Belize Barrier Reef. WWF-Ecuador organized a regional workshop on sustainable tourism in Marine Protected Areas. New financial strategy brings Peru closer to creating sustainable protected areas.

In Forests, WWF-Paraguay made a strong call to raise awareness in favor of reforestation. Regarding Wildlife, WWF- Colombia developed the first mobile app against illegal wildlife trade.

In Governance, WWF-Chile presented ten proposals and guidelines to the eight candidates for the presidency regarding environment and sustainable development. Finally, in relation to Markets, WWF-Brasil took another step towards the conservation of the Pantanal and to offer beef without chemical residues, from socially and environmentally responsible sources. In Mesoamerica, the sustainable tourism initiative Caribe Maya was awarded.

Enjoy this new edition,

Roberto Troya

Vice President and Regional Director

WWF-LAC

Belize moratorium on offshore oil activity: a landmark moment for marine conservation

The government of Belize introduced a landmark legislation to establish a permanent moratorium on offshore oil activity inside and around the Belize Barrier Reef. The legislation comes one year after an oil seismic testing event near the reef that was stopped following a public outcry.

Regional Workshop on Sustainable Tourism with Local Participation in Marine Protected Areas of CMAR

WWF-Ecuador and the Directorate of the Galapagos National Park, as Secretariat pro-tempore of the Marine Corridor of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (CMAR, its acronym in Spanish), with the co-funding of UNESCO, organized the Regional Workshop on Sustainable Tourism with Local Participation in the Marine Protected Areas of the CMAR. The event took place from October 12 to 16, aboard the Galapagos Legend cruise ship. The objective of the workshop was to develop common mechanisms for managing sustainable tourism in the marine protected areas (MPAs) that make up this corridor with the Galapagos Marine Reserve, such as the Wildlife and Flora Sanctuary of Malpelo and the National Park of Gorgona, both in Colombia; the Cocos Island National Park of Costa Rica and Coiba National Park of Panama. Around 40 participants attended the event, including technical representatives from all the MPAs and tourism operators.

New financial strategy brings Peru closer to creating sustainable protected areas

National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP) has led efforts to design an unprecedented funding strategy, whose first phase seeks to provide sustainability to 38 ANPs in the Peruvian Amazon. Thus, in addition to covering 100% of the needs of these ANPs for a period of 10 years, it will allow the design and implementation of the necessary alternatives to ensure its long-term financial sustainability.

"The green that is worth more": strong call for awareness about reforestation in Paraguay

A cash transport vehicle with police escort caught the attention of hundreds of people who were that afternoon at the Costanera of Asunción. They were all surprised when the doors opened and the valuable cargo that the caravan was transporting were trees. The event was part of the campaign #ElVerdeQueValeMás, a strong call from WWF-Paraguay to raise awareness in favor of reforestation. The vehicle contained native trees that, with the help of the volunteers of the organization, were planted on the Costanera before the attentive public who approached and supported this activity.

An app that protects the hawksbill turtle

WWF-Colombia developed the first mobile app against illegal wildlife trade. Today, millions of tourists who visit Colombia can identify and denounce activities related to the sale and trafficking of the Hawksbill turtle, especially in coastal cities as Cartagena and Santa Marta, through ‘Cero Carey’ (Zero hawksbill turtle). This app allows any smartphone user to take photographs and send them to a WWF database with the exact location where the crime is being committed. These complaints go directly to the local authorities to carry out the necessary capture, seizure and prosecution procedures. The hawksbill turtle is one of the six species of sea turtles that exist in our country, but is critically endangered according to the IUCN. Hawksbills declined globally by over 80% during the last century: they are sought for their carapace plates, which are used to manufacture tortoiseshell items (‘carey’ or ‘bekko’) such as jewelry and ornaments. The incidental capture (bycatch) and excessive egg collection are other important threats that affect this marine turtle.

WWF-Chile presents environmental proposals to presidential candidates

Ten proposals and guidelines on the environment and sustainable development were developed by WWF-Chile and delivered to the 8 candidates for the Presidency of Chile. Ricardo Bosshard, Director of WWF-Chile, pointed out that the country must continue making progress in the delicate balance between caring for the environment and the space where the human being lives and develops. WWF's 2016 Living Planet Report tells us that we are consuming many more resources than the Earth is capable of regenerating, and we must emphasize our efforts to curb climate change and maintain the temperature rise below two degrees Celsius must be more ambitious.

Sustainable beef from the Pantanal received a new certification

The Brazilian Association of Organic Producers (ABPO), with the support of WWF-Brasil, has taken another step towards the conservation of the Pantanal and offers beef without chemical residues to consumers, from social and environmentally responsible sources. The "Protocol of Sustainable Meat" innovates by being the first to include environmental conservation in a certification of bovine breeds in Brazil. Since 2003, WWF-Brazil has been supporting the certification of 180 thousand hectares of sustainable livestock in Mato Grosso de Sul.

The “Caribe Maya” sustainable tourism initiative receives an award

The Latin American organization “Fondo Verde” and the Iniciativa Latinoamericana del Paisaje (LALI) awarded the Caribe Maya initiative, which promotes sustainable tourism ventures in the Guatemalan and Honduran Atlantic Coast. This recognition was presented in Colombia, as part of the second call of the LALI’s Best Practices node for 2017, “Tourism Sustainability and Social Responsibility for Landscapes and Cultural Heritage in Latin America".