Frutillar, Chile – October 2025. As part of the RedLAC Congress 2025, Conserva Aves stood out as an example of regional collaboration for biodiversity conservation, featuring a panel dedicated to exploring its impact model and expansion in Chile.
As part of the official Congress agenda—which brought together environmental funds, international organizations, and experts in conservation financing—Conserva Aves featured its own panel dedicated to exploring its impact model and its expansion into Chile. Representing the initiative, Cecilia Vides, Regional Coordinator at RedLAC, led a discussion alongside strategic partners driving the model in various Latin American countries. The panel included Diego Urrejola, Executive Director of Fundación Cosmos; Padu Franco, Senior Program Manager for the Andes at the Bezos Earth Fund; Michael Seager, Biodiversity Conservation Program Manager at BirdLife International; and Aurelio Ramos, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at Audubon.
Under the title “Conserva Aves as a Regional Impact Model,” the session offered a space to reflect on the initiative’s results and lessons learned, as well as its upcoming expansion into Chile. Panelists addressed key topics such as the functioning of the current operation, achievements in the Andean corridor, investment opportunities, and the fundamental role of national partners in ensuring the sustainability of the model.
“Conserva Aves represents a joint effort to strengthen the protection of territories, recognizing local leadership and partnerships as drivers of change. The experience in the Tropical Andes demonstrates that collaboration and local empowerment are the most effective ways to conserve and restore nature,” said Cecilia Vides during her intervention.
The panel also served as a call to action to incorporate Chile into the network of countries already implementing Conserva Aves and to encourage other organizations to leverage resources to support the creation of protected areas in Chile and channel investments that respond to urgent conservation needs.
About the Conserva Aves Initiative
Conserva Aves is a partnership between American Bird Conservancy (ABC), National Audubon Society, BirdLife International, Birds Canada, and the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds (RedLAC). In Chile, the initiative is implemented by Fondo Naturaleza Chile, the Chilean Network of Bird and Wildlife Observers (ROC), and Fundación Cosmos.