The future for ATBC conservation declarations

The Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ATBC) is the world's largest international and professional organization whose mission is to promote research, education, and communication about the world's tropical ecosystems. A core component of ATBC’s mandate is to engage in conservation science and capacity-building activities on a global and regional basis. It therefore has a critical role to play in advocating the use of science and other evidence-based approaches to inform conservation practices and policies at local, national, and global levels, as described further in the 2015–2025 Strategic Plan.1 The main purpose of our commentary is to enlighten members of ATBC and the wider tropical conservation community of the importance and value of ATBC conference declarations as instruments for identifying and tackling significant conservation issues across the tropics. We also share our combined insights and recommendations on how to prepare, deliver, and evaluate any future ATBC conference declarations.