By Marcela Valente
BUENOS AIRES, Sep 18 2007 (IPS)

Many reserves in Latin America are walking a tightrope between degradation and isolation. To overcome these problems and appreciate the contribution of natural heritage areas to fighting poverty, Argentina will host an international congress attracting wide participation at the end of this month.

“Our main aim is to open participation to all concerned parties, not just academics, conservationists or park administrators. We want to listen to indigenous peoples, fisherfolk, local communities and the tourism sector,” Víctor Inchausteguy, coordinator of the Second Latin American Congress on National Parks and other Protected Areas, told IPS.

“We have to create an atmosphere of plurality, where ideas can be exchanged and conservation principles can be agreed on. We need to go beyond the established groups of people who are traditionally committed to these issues,” said the coordinator, who works for the South American regional office of the World Conservation Union (UICN-Sur).

The Sept. 30-Oct. 6 conference in the ski resort town of Bariloche, 1,500 kilometres southwest of Buenos Aires, is expected to draw nearly 2,000 people from 20 Latin American countries, Canada, the United States and Europe.

According to statistics from the Latin American Technical Cooperation Network on National Parks, other Protected Areas and Wildlife (REDPARQUES), the total combined surface area of protected reserves in the region doubled between 1992 and 2002. Latin America, with a total land mass of nearly 21 million square kilometres, has 2.1 million square kilometres designated as protected areas.

The number and area of reserves under co-administration by governments and local communities has also increased.

A regional report on the overall situation in Latin America will be presented on the opening day, after which participants will discuss poverty in protected areas, the impact of climate change and mitigation strategies, and the creation of a network of protected marine areas to sustain fisheries.

The contribution of traditional indigenous knowledge to conservation will also be considered, as well as the impact of infrastructure projects on critical ecosystems. Innovative methods of financing the reserves will be presented, and effective management methods will be assessed.

“It’s very important for the concept of conservation to be included in the development and integration policies of our countries, because if it’s left out, the protected areas may well end up as islands,” Inchausteguy said in a telephone interview with IPS from Quito, Ecuador, where UICN-Sur’s regional office is located.

He said that the conservation of biodiversity ought to be on the agenda whenever investment, planning and allocation of funds are discussed. In this regard, he said that local governments had made the most progress in conservation awareness, but that much remained to be done.

The idea for this conference first arose at the Fourth World Congress on National Parks and Protected Areas, hosted by Caracas, Venezuela in 1992, where participants decided to hold a Latin American congress half way through the period between the world congresses, which take place every 10 years.

The first regional congress was held in Santa Marta, Colombia, in 1997. Its conclusions were a valuable contribution to the Fifth World Congress in Durban, South Africa in 2003. Now the UICN-Sur is lending its support to the forthcoming second regional conference in Bariloche.

Other sponsors include the National Parks Administration of Argentina, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean, and REDPARQUES, which operates within the framework of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

The main aim is to evaluate, appreciate and reinforce the contribution of the region’s protected areas to biodiversity conservation. Other goals are assessment of the services provided by the reserves, sustainable use of the areas and their surroundings, and strategies to alleviate poverty within them.

The conference’s slogan is “Conservation, Integration and Wellbeing for the Peoples of Latin America”.

Four main themes will be presented in lectures, symposiums and workshops: biodiversity conservation; advances and challenges in knowledge and information on management of protected areas; capacity-building; and governance, equity and quality of life.

The participants will release a political declaration at the end of the meeting, and will draw up Latin America’s recommendations to the next world congress.

“Social participation improved a great deal between Santa Marta and Bariloche, but protected areas form part of a broader context,” said Inchausteguy, who mentioned the construction of highways, dams and gas pipelines as well as the expansion of monoculture crops, activities which can contribute to degrading reserves, or can isolate them completely.

Mining, logging, fishing and tourism can also threaten protected areas. That is why, Inchausteguy said, he regards participation in the congress by the private sector, communities, and governments as essential, so that they are all involved in sustainable development projects.

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