Latin America has made significant progress in protecting biodiversity through the creation and management of nationally managed protected areas. Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru have between 10 and 25 % of their national territory under this designation. The multiple challenges involved in managing such extensive protected areas have led to the development of more diverse forms of governance, including management by local governments. However, local governments still have a comparatively low level of commitment to this form of biodiversity conservation, mainly due to their limited structure and capacity, which often results in existing initiatives remaining isolated and unknown.