Latin America has made significant progress in biodiversity protection through the creation and management of nationally recognized protected areas. Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru have between 101% and 251% of their national land area designated as protected. The numerous challenges involved in managing extensive protected areas have led to the increased importance of diverse governance models, including local government management. However, local governments still demonstrate a comparatively low level of commitment to this form of biodiversity conservation, primarily due to their limited structure and capacity, which often results in existing initiatives remaining isolated and largely unknown.