Impact Report 2021

We are facing the biggest, most complex challenges of our lives. And that calls for our biggest, most ambitious plans. That is why we have set urgent targets aimed at helping us secure a thriving planet—for people and nature. 

Latin America has a decisive role to play, especially for climate—as the region will deliver 50% of TNC’s projected carbon sequestration and emission reduction targets for 2030.

Grounded in science, fueled by our collaborative spirit and our relentless pursuit of solutions, we know that together we can overcome barriers to progress and achieve our most ambitious plans yet.

One of the things I love the most about my new role as TNC’s Regional Managing Director for Latin America is the time I spend with supporters, trustees, partners and staff in the incredible places where we work. I get to meet the passionate people who make our organization so strong. 

These experiences reaffirm my reasons for joining TNC: our science-based approach, combined with practical, field-proven solutions, rooted in decades of collaboration with diverse partners. Few organizations have the depth, muscle and convening power that TNC has to deliver results with the scale and urgency necessary. 

These are urgent times. This decade is the critical moment for global action to tackle the climate change and biodiversity crises. To avoid tipping points that could have dire consequences for all life on Earth, TNC has developed an ambitious set of goals to achieve by 2030 and a meticulously-derived set of metrics to track our progress.

Latin America has a decisive role to play in achieving our organizational global goals. The region is home to nearly half the planet’s biodiversity and a quarter of the world’s forests, making it vital for addressing two urgent tasks: reversing the decline of nature and halting climate change. With your commitment and support, Latin America can deliver 50% of TNC’s overall and global projected carbon sequestration and emission reduction targets by 2030. 

Our team has mobilized to meet these challenges head-on by focusing on 12 Iconic Places, carefully selected for their readiness to deliver biodiversity, climate and social outcomes. Through collective action with local and Indigenous communities, governments, the private sector, local organizations and other stakeholders, we are activating major levers to scale impactful conservation and regenerative development through public policy, corporate practices, innovative finance and more. 

While we pursue ambitious goals on a regional and global scale, at the community level, these may translate into family farms finding security and protecting nature through new ways of producing food; volunteer squads of divers repairing coral reefs that shield the shore; fishers designing guidelines to protect their stocks; or Indigenous communities stepping forward to lead ambitious national action. 

The Impact Report that follows captures our ambitious goals and a sampling of our accomplishments in 2021. 

We are grateful to all our donors who continue to generously support us at this critical time for our planet. Together, we can realize a future where both people and nature thrive.

With deep appreciation,

Paula Caballero

Chairman of Santander Brazil,

Member of TNC Global Board,

Co-Chair of Latin America Conservation Council (LACC)

This decade is pivotal for scaling science-based solutions that put us on the path to a sustainable future. 

TNC’s work in Latin America delivers a triple dividend that protects biodiversity and improves local livelihoods while enhancing carbon capture and climate resilience. 

I am proud to partner with TNC, and invite you to do the same.