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Showing posts from January, 2026

The Critical Role of Private Sector Leadership in Conservation and Sustainability: From Risk to Opportunity

  In recent decades, conservation was often seen as the responsibility of governments and nonprofits, while business leadership remained on the sidelines. Today, this outdated view is no longer tenable. Businesses, especially their senior leaders, must play a central role in driving sustainability, not only as a matter of corporate reputation but as an imperative for long-term economic resilience and global ecological stability. Why Nature Matters to Business, Not Just to NGOs Natural systems are not external to the global economy, they underpin it. Many corporate operations depend on ecosystem services such as clean water, fertile soil, pollination, and climate regulation. When those systems degrade, businesses face higher costs, supply chain disruption, greater risk exposure, and weakened competitiveness. Recent research confirms an expanding expectation for the private sector to act on biodiversity impacts and contribute toward global conservation goals (White, 2023). Mor...

The New Conservation Professional: Technical Expertise Is No Longer Enough

Conservation is evolving. Today’s professionals need more than technical expertise, leadership, communication, finance literacy, and community engagement are essential. Learn why, how to adapt, and how mentoring can accelerate your career transition.   Why This Topic Resonates Now? Latin America is at the heart of global biodiversity, and at the intersection of shifting socio ‑ economic and environmental pressures. Forests are bargaining chips in carbon markets. Communities are rightful stakeholders. Investors and donors demand transparency. Verification systems tighten. The result? Conservation roles are transforming faster than traditional academic paths can prepare professionals to adapt. A conservation specialist I spoke with recently put it plainly: “I was trained to map habitat, not to negotiate with investors or explain conservation methodologies to my community.” This tension is real. Many talented professionals feel stuck between comfort zones of fieldwork an...

Conservation and Climate in 2025: What This Year Taught Me , and What 2026 Asks of Us

 As 2025 came to an end, I found myself reflecting not just on global headlines or reports, but on conversations, projects, and moments in the field that shaped how I see conservation and climate action today. This year didn’t feel like a year of dramatic breakthroughs. It felt like something quieter,   and perhaps more important: a year of consolidation, learning, and reckoning. Here are a few reflections on what 2025 gave us, and what I believe 2026 will demand from all of us working with nature, communities, and climate: 1.         Nature-Based Solutions Are No Longer a Trend, they’re a Responsibility In 2025, it became clear to me that Nature-based Solutions are no longer something we experiment with. They are something we, as conservationists, must do well, or not do at all. Across different projects and discussions, I saw: ·        More serious investment in forest conservation and restoration · ...