In a joint effort to improve strategic communication management in the region, Profonanpe, the Peruvian environmental fund with more than 30 years of experience, and the Protected Areas Trust (PAT) of Guyana, are implementing an innovative mentoring program. This collaboration seeks to transfer knowledge and strengthen the PAT’s capacity to create effective communication campaigns in order to better position its brand and attract private sector investment.
The program, which strengthens partnerships within the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds (RedLAC), is designed to be a model of how strategic communications management can play a crucial role in the sustainability of environmental funds. “Communications for non-communicators” is the name of this mentorship, which aims to turn PAT members into effective storytellers that demonstrate the impact of their conservation projects.
Profonanpe’s experience in organizing the XXV RedLAC 2023 Congress, which brought together more than 450 people and was sponsored by 13 companies and organizations, as well as its track record in developing campaigns such as “Resilient Fishing”, “Cultivating Hands” and “Wetlands for Life”, will help guide the PAT in creating a solid storytelling strategy and identifying opportunities for collaboration with the private sector. This approach not only seeks to improve the PAT’s recognition in the region, but also to increase its capacity to attract new resources for the implementation of environmental projects in Guyana.
Commitment to biodiversity conservation in the region
The mentoring program follows a hybrid format and has combined face-to-face and virtual workshops in which the PAT team and the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) have participated. As part of this program, the Profonanpe team traveled to Guyana to implement an audiovisual campaign that will position the TAP as a strategic ally for environmental finance in the region. Through this program, PAT is expected to develop a robust and sustainable communication strategy, capable of actively engaging donors and private sector partners in biodiversity conservation in Guyana.
Yuliana Castro, Profonanpe’s Manager of Communications and Corporate Affairs, underscored the importance of this initiative: “Strengthening communication skills is key to making environmental funds attractive to the private sector. This program not only seeks to transfer knowledge, but also to empower PATs to tell their impact stories and attract new investments that ensure the conservation of their protected areas.”
In turn, Oleta Williams, CEO of Protected Areas Trust, highlighted that the mentoring program was an investment in building a stronger, better equipped and unified national conservation trust fund for Guyana.
“It was important for PAT to gain the skills needed to better share our story with our partners, donors and other stakeholders. Learning from the Profonanpe team, these past few months, was a truly stimulating, fulfilling and very rewarding experience. I am truly grateful,” said Oleta.
This collaboration between Profonanpe and PAT is an example of how strategic alliances and effective communications management can open up new opportunities for environmental funds in Latin America and the Caribbean, promoting sustainability and biodiversity conservation in the region.
