Interview with Daniela Araya-Gamboa 

Tell us a little about the history of the LACTWG and how you got involved in the creation of the group.

Many years ago, when I was working on my first road ecology project, there happened to be a talk in Tabasco, Mexico, on the topic. My boss told me, “You have to go.” I was about five months pregnant and didn’t like traveling alone, but I went. It was my first road-related project, and I spent a week with wonderful people working on the topic: Coral Pacheco, Juan de Dios Valdéz, Salvador París, Tony Clevenger, Tom Langen, Joel Sáenz, Víctor Colino, y Alberto Gonzalez-Gallina. It was amazing because I was just starting out and had the opportunity to listen to people who had been working on the topic for some time. That’s when my connection with this great and wonderful group began, and from then on, I continued participating in those meetings. The group started attracting more highly motivated people who wanted to reduce the impact of roads on wildlife. That was the beginning, and when the idea of creating the group was proposed, Tony asked me if I wanted to participate, which was wonderful because what we were learning in each country could be shared on a large scale. Additionally, we could learn from this great and diverse group because everyone had knowledge on different topics and in some cases faced the same challenges. So, what one person didn’t know, another could help with. I’d say it’s a supportive group. This has made many of us feel that this group is valuable because it motivates us every time we meet. It’s a great motivation to keep going, together.

What are the roles and responsibilities of co-chairs in IUCN Working Groups?

There is a work plan that was developed at the beginning of the Latin American Transport Working Group’s creation. We built that work plan, and the co-chairs are tasked with focusing on meeting the objectives. It’s also very important to document the activities that lead us to achieve those objectives. As we work, we identify new gaps and challenges. We’ve focused on ensuring that knowledge is disseminated and not left stagnant. Additionally, we try to identify which countries need more support and where specific topics need to be addressed. That’s why we’ve supported and organized workshops and seminars with people from the transport sector in different countries, especially where the challenge is greater because there is still a lack of knowledge and researchers collecting data.

What are LACTWG’s main achievements in these early years?

I believe one of the major achievements is that we’ve been able to meet the objective of sharing information and learning from these connections across Latin America, which we’ve managed to create and maintain over time. This is very important because it’s not about people coming and going, but a group that has stayed together over time. We’ve been able to be together at events in other countries, which is fundamental because we leave knowledge in the country but also refresh our own knowledge by being together. We motivate each other, see what our colleague Diego Varela is doing in Argentina, and take from his experience to apply it in our own countries. Thus, we don’t start from scratch but rather build on the learning from our colleagues. Another very important achievement is the newsletter. The communication team, along with the secretariat, has managed to keep the newsletter updated regularly, reaching many people. There’s also the database of scientific studies, which many people appreciate because it’s very comprehensive and frequently updated. This has allowed anyone interested in the topic to have valuable information available, even choosing by topic or country, which is very important for those starting out or facing a challenge in a specific area. This bibliographic base serves to guide us in specific topics or geography. Another achievement of teamwork and collaboration between different countries has been the ability to show the world what the Latin American region is doing, how we’ve advanced in reducing road impacts on wildlife, not only at the road level but also on railways. For example, we’ve learned that in Costa Rica, railways haven’t progressed much, but we know there are colleagues who have worked on that topic and have experience, which gives us confidence that if the railway sector is developed, we will have someone to turn to and won’t start from scratch. We can at least try to apply measures in areas we haven’t yet worked on but that our regional colleagues have. Working together helps us advance as a region and gives us confidence that we are generating concrete actions in different countries. These actions will motivate other countries to join and continue increasing the positive impact that this group started and has continued to develop over time. And this is something I highlighted before: it’s very important that it’s not about people coming and going, but about a group that has sustained itself over time and continued working together on this issue.

What are the main challenges you see in managing the LACTWG?

Regarding challenges, I think one is trying to gather in a seminar, workshop, or course because when we are together, it generates a very important chemistry that recharges our batteries to continue working. It’s always a challenge, as we need to secure funding or support to participate. For example, with Diego in Argentina, we conducted a course that was very nice because it gave us the opportunity to be together. Another challenge, I believe, has been organizing a conference for Latin America. It’s something we always talk about when we’re together, but we haven’t managed to finalize it. We were going to do it in Argentina but didn’t manage to. I think it would be very valuable because it would give us the chance to be together, sharing and learning with people from the region. For me, this is one of the biggest challenges: everyone wants to do it, but we haven’t yet managed to finalize it.

What do you envision as future directions and priorities for this group?

One of the important steps forward is to ensure that the already created subcommittees —communication, capacity building, research— have active participation from all group members. These committees already have their objectives and basic plans, but it’s crucial that they invite and increase the participation of all group members. I think this is key at this moment, so that the entire Latin American block, with its high biodiversity sites and challenges, not only at the terrestrial level but also at the level of riparian and aquatic ecosystems that may be experiencing fragmentation, is seen from a regional perspective. If we pool our efforts and coordinate measures, we can create a greater impact when taking action. Something very important is that when Costa Rica sees something done in Argentina, it motivates that country to start the process. Thus, the fact that we are together and see other countries as examples also encourages us to start, following the example of our colleagues, countries, and neighbors.