Connecting Knowledge to Transform Landscapes: The PARES Community of Practice Takes a Step Forward in Copán Ruinas

• The PARES Community of Practice is consolidating itself as a strategic space where collective action becomes concrete solutions for our territories. 

The PARES Project – Peace, Action, Resilience, and Sustainability in Latin American Landscapes, funded by the European Union and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and regionally implemented by CATIE, brought together more than 25 representatives from six countries this Monday, September 8, in a key meeting of its Community of Practice (CoP). Participants included representatives from the 12 PARES Project grants, focal points from the Ministries of Environment of Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico, and officials from UNEP and CATIE.

The day was a vibrant space for exchange and collective construction, where organizations shared lessons, achievements, and challenges from PARES implementation, exploring how to transform accumulated experience into concrete routes of action for climate adaptation, social cohesion, and peace. 

Through participatory dynamics, attendees mapped the progress achieved and envisioned the governance required by this regional network, identifying the elements that will make it possible to sustain it: trust among actors, inclusion of women, youth, and Indigenous peoples, and mechanisms for multi-level cooperation. 

The meeting closed with a clear message: the Community of Practice does not remain in ideas but advances with concrete collaboration agreements between countries and organizations, giving real content to the shared vision. These commitments are the driving force for the CoP to continue growing as a regional space that connects adaptation, peace, and governance, responding to the major challenges of the Central American Dry Corridor and other landscapes in Latin America. 

“The PARES Community of Practice is consolidating itself as a strategic space where collective action becomes concrete solutions for our territories,” was one of the reflections that marked the end of the event. 

Photos courtesy of: Onan Osorto from CODDEFFAGOLF.
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What is the PARES Project? 

PARES is an initiative implemented by CATIE in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), within the framework of the UNEP-European Union Alliance “Facilitating specific approaches to address climate and environmental risks related to peace and security”. The project is implemented in 12 vulnerable landscapes across six countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, with the goal of strengthening climate resilience, promoting social cohesion, and contributing to climate adaptation as a conflict-prevention tool. 

During its implementation, PARES combines participatory governance actions, capacity building, and the development of concrete adaptation measures aimed at directly impacting local communities, fostering conditions for a culture of peace and stability.