As of last year, more than 70 countries had agreed to set a target of safeguarding 30% of their land and sea territory by 2030 to help preserve nature and biodiversity. Protected areas like National Parks, Monuments, and Marine Sanctuaries serve as “living laboratories,” allowing researchers to track how nature is adapting to climate change in the absence of most other human disturbances. Increasingly, protected areas are also areas in which indigenous people are reviving traditions that hold deep cultural resonance and enhance understanding of ecology in ways overlooked by Western scientific methods. This session will center South Florida’s spectacular National Parks and Sanctuaries, exploring the role of these national treasures in protecting the unique biodiversity of this region — and in developing climate solutions.