New Multiparty Lawmakers Group Champions Conservation in Chile
Senators from across the political spectrum are working together to secure lasting protections for the country’s biodiversity
Chile has a new parliamentary body dedicated to helping protect nature: The Conservation and Oceans Caucus unites senators from various political parties around the common goal of resolving conservation-related challenges and seizing opportunities.
Created in Santiago this past January, this informal group has been working together ever since to facilitate collaboration, bring scientific evidence and national and international expertise into legislative discussions, and exchange perspectives, with an eye toward exploring solutions and building consensus.
The caucus was developed at a meeting led by the Chilean Senate and the International Conservation Caucus Foundation, with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Colombian and Mexican conservation caucuses. Representatives from the executive branch, communities, academia, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations also played integral roles in the event, as did Senators Paulina Núñez, Paulina Vodanovic, Andrés Longton, Sergio Gahona, Alfonso De Urresti, Iván Flores, Diego Ibáñez, Iván Moreira, and Gustavo Sanhueza, among others.
The Conservation and Oceans Caucus’ creation comes at a pivotal moment for Chile, as the country strengthens its frameworks for conserving biodiversity and protected areas and makes progress on international commitments, such as the global goal of protecting at least 30% of land and inland water, marine, and coastal areas by 2030.
Among its early initiatives, the group has been instrumental in proposing that the central Chilean city of Valparaíso be considered to host the Secretariat of the BBNJ Agreement, or high seas treaty. If Valparaíso is selected, it would mark the first time that a Latin American city has served as the headquarters for a multilateral United Nations entity with universal membership.
The challenge now is to transform this promising cross-party commitment into concrete and lasting action. Chile needs precisely that: a long-term vision, close collaboration, strong consensus, and decisive, meaningful advances on conservation.
Carolina Jarpa works on The Pew Charitable Trusts’ conserving nature for Chile project.
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