Latin America is a diverse region of the world that is destined to play a major role in food production. This region also has a growing urban population with increasing numbers of companion animals, and major issues related to biological diversity, sustainable livestock production, and wildlife and ecosystems conservation. Considering these issues the role of applied ethology has been increasingly important in multiple areas. Although there are courses given in many countries of the region, scientific research is limited to a few groups. Still, networking and collaboration within the region has been quite strong. Some examples of this include the numerous training courses at different levels in the region and participation in international research projects. There has been an active, although fluctuating, involvement of the region in ISAE meetings, usually increasing in years when the annual ISAE conference has been hosted in Latin America. Three ISAE conferences have been held in the region, two in Brazil (2000 and 2013) and one in Mexico (2007). The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) agenda on animal welfare has become a good opportunity to promote research on applied ethology in the region and will be a useful tool to strengthen networking and promote collaborative research. It is important to raise awareness among decision makers and intergovernmental organisations of the work that the ISAE is doing and of the role of ethology in science-based policies. Animal behaviour studies will be a necessary tool for the development of efficient policies and legislation.