US, Mexico, Canada To Cooperate on Wilderness Conservation

The United States, Mexico and Canada for the first time formally agreed to
cooperate on wilderness conservation measures across the continent.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation for Wilderness Conservation at the opening ceremony of the 9th World Wilderness Congress in Merida, Mexico on Friday.

"This Agreement will facilitate the sharing of successful experiences,
monitoring, and  training of human resources, as well as the financing
of projects that will protect and recover wild areas,"  Calderon said. 

The MOU provisions address ecosystems, migratory wildlife, and natural resources that cross geographical boundaries. The MOU also encourages cooperative efforts to conduct and share scientific research.

The agreement also recognizes the importance of wilderness conservation in climate change adaptation and mitigation and monitoring for climate change effects.

The seven agencies responsible for wilderness management signing the MOU include: the Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources through the National Commission on Protected Areas (CONANP) of the United Mexican States; the Parks Canada Agency of the Government of Canada; the National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management of the U.S. Department of Interior, and the Forest Service and Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"Mexican legislation currently allows for incorporating the concept of wilderness in our protected area operations and private lands certification," said Enkerlin-Hoeflich, who chaired the North American Governmental
Advisory Committee that formulated the MOU. "We are close to having it formally incorporated into environmental law. This MOU builds on our tradition of trilateral cooperation. It will greatly benefit Mexico as it shares and learns from the Canadian and U.S. experiences such that wilderness conservation, while respecting each country’s institutions and regulations, works seamlessly in North America."