Regarding the proposal for shared governance—so crucial in recent years—Paulina Arroyo, Program Officer for the Andean Amazon Initiative at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, shared that partnerships between organizations and sectors have been essential to achieving effective management of protected areas and Indigenous territories. While establishing partnerships and shared governance can sometimes take considerable time, it has proven to be a key long-term factor for resilient conservation areas. Stephanie Arellano, from the IUCN Regional Office for South America, reaffirmed this idea, stating that the participation of governments, local actors, private sector stakeholders, and representatives of Indigenous peoples and communities has been essential in strengthening the work being done in the region.
In this regard, Fermín Chimatani, President of the Association of Contract Managers for the Administration of Communal Reserves of Peru (ANECAP) and an Indigenous leader of the Harakbut people, stated: “We must emphasize that SERNANP (National Service of Natural Protected Areas) is taking into account the right of Indigenous peoples to effective participation in the management of Communal Reserves, considering the ECAS (Communal Reserve Management Entities) as partners in the management of these Communal Reserves and not just as beneficiaries.” Thus, the obligation to consider and make visible the collective and consensual work carried out by Indigenous communities was clarified. Similarly, Luciano Régis, a founding member of the Network of Young Leaders of Latin America and the Caribbean (RELLAC-JOVEN), asserted that effective and equitable management of protected areas is not possible without the involvement of stakeholders who have a relationship with the territories, whether material or symbolic; and that the participation of young people is also necessary in these processes to promote horizontal dialogue.
Likewise, Ana Julia Gómez, from the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Women in Conservation, emphasized the need to build a new governance approach based on empathy and a gender perspective. Women have always contributed to the conservation of protected areas through their diverse knowledge, positions, and experiences, and these contributions have only recently become more visible. Therefore, achieving equity and recognizing women as an indispensable part of these governance networks are imperative actions.
At the end of this meeting, Cindy Vergel, Coordinator of the Natural Heritage Initiative of Peru at Sernanp, invited Indigenous communities, women, and youth to get involved and transform the reality of protected areas: “We can find solutions based on co-design and collective intelligence. Therefore, co-creation and the generation of new alliances to solve common problems are welcome.” It is everyone's responsibility.
