Community-led conservation in Latin America

In late July 2026, municipal and community groups across Colombia, Ecuador, Cuba and Mexico launched a series of local conservation actions. Projects ranged from river‑basin restoration and bird‑census monitoring in Colombia, to tree‑planting, beekeeping and agrobiodiversity seedling distribution in Ecuador and Cuba, and the inauguration of a municipal nursery for urban reforestation in Mexico.

Two days later the focus shifted to mangrove ecosystems. In Ecuador, The Nature Conservancy supported community associations in securing Sustainable Use and Custody Agreements for more than 15,000 ha of mangroves, strengthening local governance and capacity. Conversely, Mexico’s biodiversity agency reported a net loss of over 27,000 ha of mangroves between 2020 and 2025, driven by disturbance and sea‑level impacts.

Together the snapshots illustrate a broader trend of community‑driven environmental initiatives in the region, expanding from diverse habitat restoration projects to targeted efforts to protect and monitor critical mangrove forests, while also highlighting contrasting outcomes between neighboring countries.