STATE OF 101 PROTECTED AREAS IN LATIN AMERICA

Abstract

On-site evaluations of the status of protected areas provide guidance to managers, stakeholders, and decision makers on the development of strategies to address the most critical issues faced by protected areas. In this project I used the results obtained from the application of ParksWatch methodology to assess threats and management issues of protected areas in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. The analysis detected a number of institutional weaknesses such as management planning, staffing, and infrastructure. In addition, I identified the five major threats to these protected areas, which are consistent throughout Latin America: poaching, illegal agriculture, grazing, illegal logging, and exotic species.