UF Center for Latin American Studies
This year’s conference is organized by our colleagues in the Tropical Conservation and Development (TCD) program as a summit meeting of “The Power of Connections: Harvesting Lessons and Strengthening Coalitions for Amazonian Conservation,” a year-long project generously funded by the Gordon and Bette Moore Foundation.
Register for the conference here
About the conference
Approximately half of Amazonia is currently under some form of protection. Yet, more is needed to avert an ecological tipping point. According to the Nobre-Lovejoy hypothesis that emerged from our 2017 UF-Moore collaborative conference, if Amazonian deforestation crossed over a 25% threshold, negative biophysical synergies could irreversibly destabilize the basin and larger planetary systems. How can we consolidate and expand lands under effective management?
Over the past 6 months, UF and partners have convened Pan-Amazonian practitioners, Indigenous elders and youth, researchers, private sector actors, and government officials in workshop settings across the basin to synthesize what has been working on the ground to consolidate biodiversity conservation that honors territorial and cultural integrity, fosters pragmatic synergies between ancestral wisdom and contemporary understandings and contexts, and creates opportunities for Indigenous peoples and traditional communities who are on the frontlines of safeguarding regional biodiversity.
The “Power of Connections” Conference and Summit in Gainesville will build on these first-hand, effective conservation insights forged in the face of constant social and ecological change. The upcoming February 2026 gathering of diverse actors will further stimulate collective actions that avert negative tipping points and catalyze positive ones that support thriving cultures, communities, and biodiversity.
We've got a full schedule with compelling topics, speakers, and discussion opportunities. Check here for conference details and agenda.
The organizing committee of the Center for Latin American Studies 74th Annual Conference is pleased to call for submissions to a poster session on Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at Smathers Library, Room 100, beginning at 5:00 pm.
If you are traveling to Gainesville for our annual conference, we encourage you to review accommodation and parking information to ensure a smooth travel experience. Check here for logistics updates in the lead-up to each year's annual conference.
For over 70 years, the Center for Latin American Studies has hosted annual conferences ranging in topic from business, rural social movements, democracy, Indigenous peoples, ethnography, and more.
