This final paper in the Special Issue on Latin America summarizes the contributions of the 15 previous and more specialized papers under the themes of 1) defining characteristics of Latin American forestry and its comparison with forestry in other parts of the world, 2) policies that make a difference specifically for  Latin America and 3) Latin America's developing forest industry.

Profound economic, ethnic, and social inequalities are exacerbated by climate change. High levels of widespread poverty, weak water governance, unequal access to safe water and sanitation services, and lack of infrastructure and financing reduce adaptation capacity, increasing and creating new population vulnerabilities.