Second Mesoamerican symposium strengthens regional capacities for freshwater biodiversity conservation
More than 200 academics and conservation practitioners from 10 countries gathered for the II Mesoamerican Symposium on Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation with support from the IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee, IUCN SSC Center for Species Survival Freshwater, hosted by Shedd Aquarium, and the Mesoamerican Alliance for Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation. The event was hosted by the Autonomous National University of Honduras.
Recipients of travel scholarships by the IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee and the CSS Freshwater, hosted by Shedd Aquarium
From June 24–26, 2026, more than 200 researchers, students, and conservation practitioners from 10 countries gathered in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, for the II Mesoamerican Symposium on Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation. One year after its founding edition, the symposium has firmly established itself as the region's leading forum for freshwater science and conservation practice, drawing participants from Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Argentina, and the United States.
Over three days, the program featured presentations and scientific posters spanning fish, mollusk, amphibian, and macroinvertebrate conservation; wetland and watershed governance; climate-change impacts on aquatic ecosystems; and community-based and citizen-science monitoring. Three keynote lectures anchored the scientific program: Dr. Augustin Engman (University of Tennessee) on lotic ecosystem responses to urbanization; M.Sc. Monika Springer (Universidad de Costa Rica) on the role of scientific collections in freshwater biodiversity conservation; and Dr. Rubén Alonso Contreras Tapia (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana) on early development and heterochrony as keys to captive conservation of native freshwater fishes.
A roundtable for Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation
A highlight was a roundtable dedicated to the Mesoamerican Alliance for Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation, the network born from the inaugural symposium. Participants reviewed the Alliance's first year of progress and activated new thematic working groups, reinforcing the symposium's role as an engine for sustained regional collaboration, not just a scientific meeting. The closing ceremony included a formal call to convene a III Simposio in two years.
Support from IUCN SSC Center for Species Survival (CSS) Freshwater, hosted by Shedd Aquarium, extended beyond scientific programming by providing 20 travel scholarships that enabled students and early-career researchers from across the region to attend and present, broadening participation and capacity-building reach. The IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee also provided travel support for members of the Mesoamerican Alliance for Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation.
Building on the foundation laid at the inaugural symposium co-initiated by CSS Freshwater, the IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee, and the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, this second edition, now hosted by the Autonomous National University of Honduras, demonstrates the growing reach and durability of a Mesoamerican freshwater conservation community. The CSS Freshwater continues expanding these efforts across the region, strengthening capacities and collaborations for freshwater conservation in critical hotspots where needed.
Acknowledgements
The II Mesoamerican Symposium on Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation was hosted by the Autonomous National University of Honduras Campus Cortés and its Honduran Institute for Biological and Environmental Research.
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