Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, but this diversity is threatened by the overexploitation of natural resources and internal social conflicts. In 2018, 33 LAC countries were invited to sign and ratify the landmark Escazú Agreement, which is the first legally binding environmental agreement to explicitly integrate human rights. The agreement outlines an approach to enhance the protection of environmental defenders, increase public participation in environmental decision-making, and foster cooperation among countries for biodiversity conservation. However, clear mechanisms to implement the ideals of the Agreement are currently lacking. We identify the key provisions of the Agreement and link these to tangible mechanisms which aim to integrate human rights and nature conservation. These mechanisms include technological (e.g. free online data), human-based (e.g. legal advice from multidisciplinary teams), and nature-based solutions (e.g. transboundary species management). As environmental assets – and threats to them – span national boundaries, the collaborative and participatory provisions of the agreement could catalyse coordinated transboundary environmental management. We call for the remaining 12 countries to ratify the Escazú Agreement to ensure the ideals of collaborative, just, and transparent environmental management are established across the entire LAC region.
The landmark Escazú Agreement: An opportunity to integrate democracy, human rights, and transboundary conservation