The XIII Latin American Congress on Voluntary Conservation Aims to Reinvigorate Collaboration in the Region 

Hernan Mladinic

For decades, a network of Latin American practitioners advancing private and civic land conservation in the region has worked to support efforts to reverse and mitigate the impact of increasing environmental pressures in the region. It has done so partly by convening regular international Congresses. But, despite the key role of these Congresses in delivering some major successes for the community of practice, their trajectory has not been linear. After a period of early growth, the Latin American group saw a slump in activity beginning in 2018. Now, a core team of practitioners is breathing new life into the Congress. A pivotal moment in that initiative comes this fall with the XIII Latin American Congress on Voluntary Conservation, to be held in Panama City from September 16-18, 2025.  

A Historical Tapestry: The Evolution of Latin American Congresses 

The story of voluntary conservation in Latin America is woven with threads of individual and collective commitment to protect the region’s invaluable natural heritage. The Latin American Congresses of Private Reserves have played a central role in uniting and amplifying these efforts since the 1990s.  

This was when the private land conservation movement began taking shape in Latin America and when the group hosted its first three Congresses in Costa Rica between 1998 and 2000. These pioneering meetings were facilitated by organizations including the Center for Environmental Law and Natural Resources (CEDARENA) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). They aimed to promote use of tools and incentives for private land conservation and to encourage private conservation initiatives to complement government-led work.  

These early convenings were instrumental in laying the groundwork for regional collaboration. They brought together a growing number of participants from various Latin American countries, including representatives from NGOs, networks, and government agencies, fostering a sense of shared purpose and establishing the framework for a burgeoning regional movement. 

After its first three years, the Congresses became a biennial event with rotating host countries. Varying the location helped to showcase the diversity of conservation approaches and challenges across the region. To date, Congresses have been held in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela. Each Congress built on the successes of its predecessors, expanding the network of participants, addressing emerging challenges, and refining strategies for effective voluntary conservation. 

Strategy and Outcomes  

Throughout the years, the Congresses helped support private reserve owners and national networks for private land conservation by focusing on five key strategies: (1) networking and collaboration, (2) knowledge sharing, (3) capacity building, (4) policy influence, and (5) strengthening national conservation networks.  

Leveraging these pillars resulted in several notable outcomes. In 2004, 11 private land conservation networks from nine countries attended the Congress in Chile and agreed on the Valle Nevado Declaration, which proposed the creation of a regional alliance called the Latin American Alliance of Private Reserve Networks. The next year saw participants from 16 countries define a strategic plan for the Congress participants, which would guide it from 2005 to 2010. They also established the group’s mission, vision, principles, and lines of work.  

Participants at the 2005 meeting also established the Mesoamerican Network of Private Nature Reserves, which includes representatives from seven nations and drafted a regional conservation policy on private lands, which it submitted to the Central American Commission on Environment and Development for approval. 

Despite these tangible outcomes, the group eventually began struggling to deliver the events. After two decades, they eventually pressed pause on the initiative after a 2018 meeting in Peru. The COVID-19 pandemic, which set in in full force in March 2020, put that year’s in-person meeting out of the question. The conditions also weakened many national networks, as they began to lose touch with their members. Thus, six years passed without a Congress taking place.  

Growing a Latin American Network and Reviving the Congress 

While the future of the Congresses and the group behind them was uncertain, practitioners around the world were continuing to look to Latin America’s vibrant private land conservation movement for lessons, innovations, and ideas. At the same time, Latin American practitioners from across the region were engaging in peer learning and knowledge exchange with colleagues around the globe.   

The challenge for networks like the International Land Conservation Network (ILCN) lay in navigating the many national networks and organizations involved in this work to identify and facilitate exchange with a regional perspective. Furthermore, the ILCN saw that a cohesive and effective network in Latin America would be critical to strengthening the sector and building capacity to advance and scale up voluntary private and civic land conservation efforts. 

In 2020, the ILCN began to support a regional network-building effort to help revitalize the Latin American network. In 2022, the ILCN ramped up this effort by partnering with The Nature Conservancy to explore the policy enabling conditions for private land conservation in the region and the role of a network in strengthening the conservation landscape in Latin America. With their support, a core group of conservationists took the lead on rallying their peers to attend regular meetings, join a practitioners group chat, and begin making commitments to a formal Latin American network.  

The results of this work are measurable. The original 17 members that signed on to the network in 2020 grew to 61 in 2025. In that same timespan, the number of countries represented by members grew from eight to 17. This growth reflects increased recognition of the importance of voluntary conservation in Latin America and more desire to collaborate.  

A key moment in this growth came at the 2024 Global Congress of the International Land Conservation Network. Hosted in Quebec, Canada, the event centered around the theme of “Relationships for a Resilient World,” emphasizing the importance of partnerships and Indigenous leadership in conservation globally. Several facilitating members of the Latin American network attended the Congress and used it as an opportunity to meet in person and develop a model for a similar event In Latin America. 

The XIII Latin American Congress 

The XIII Latin American Congress on Voluntary Conservation in Panama aims to build upon the achievements of previous Congresses and further strengthen the voluntary conservation movement in the region. It will promote knowledge exchange, address continuing and emerging challenges and opportunities for voluntary conservation in Latin America, foster collaboration within and across sectors, and strengthen a regional network of voluntary conservation initiatives.  

Organizers made a strategic decision in choosing a location for the Congress. Panama is a natural bridge between North America and South America, highlighting the importance of cross-border collaboration and diverse geographic participation. It is also more widely accessible by air travel than some other countries.  

The Panamanian Association of Private Natural Reserves will serve as the local host, providing strong logistical and organizational support. Currently, organizers expect to welcome about 120 international participants. 

Looking to the Future 

The evolution of a new Latin American network has highlighted both the wealth of resources available to this growing community and significant needs. In particular, the network will require a more structured framework to support its growth and long-term success. Though a decentralized approach offered the group the flexibility to get off the ground, it now must prioritize greater capacity to coordinate its membership, mobilize resources, and advocate for enabling policy.  

Though the ILCN helped incubate the network, the group seeks another organization to serve as its permanent institutional home. In line with this process, it will also need to establish a clear governance structure, including defining responsibilities for coordinating members and strategically allocating resources. These steps will help ensure the network’s effectiveness and ability to support voluntary conservation across the region.  

For decades, the Latin American Congress of Private Reserves has been instrumental in building an informal network of voluntary conservation in the region. The gatherings fostered collaboration, knowledge sharing, and capacity building, while empowering people and organizations to protect Latin America’s invaluable natural heritage.  

The XIII Latin American Congress on Voluntary Conservation is a crucial next step. It will consolidate this network to advance conservation in the face of urgent biodiversity goals and help further nations’ progress toward 30×30. Private conservation initiatives are critical to this global target and must be offered ample incentives to act decisively toward it.  

By promoting collaboration innovation, and strategic action, the Congress will contribute to a more resilient and sustainable future for Latin America.