Abstract

The Southern Cone of South America (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and parts of Bolivia and Brazil), share an extraordinary diversity of ecosystems. These include template forests, grasslands, and Great American Chaco among others. These ecosystems and the ecological processes they harbor are under great threat and require regional conservation efforts. Here we present the first SCB Southern Cone Chapter which was created to promote regional conservation efforts, advance information sharing, and effectively connect science and practice through active participation of a broad set of stakeholders. Furthermore, we present a brief description of the challenges of conserving biodiversity in the Southern Cone and potential key actions that could be implemented or strengthened to advance science and practice.