North American Cooperation on Wilderness
Overview of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for Wilderness & Protected Areas Conservation
Download the MOU in: French, English and Spanish.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation for Wilderness Conservation was signed by seven North American government agencies at WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress (WWC), in Mérida, State of Yucatán, Mexico on 7 November 2009. The seven agencies are: the Parks Canada Agency of the Government of Canada; the Mexican National Commission for Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) of the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT); the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the U.S. Department of Interior; and the Forest Service and Office of Ecosystem Services & Markets (now Office of Environmental Markets) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The MOU is the first international agreement dedicated to wilderness, and as decided by the agency heads when they met in person in Banff, Alberta, Canada in May 2011, it now extends to protected areas. It heralds a growing global understanding of the importance of wilderness and protected areas in the 21st century – and the critical role it plays in response to climate change, the extinction crisis, quality water shortages, and other environmental decline.
The MOU is implemented by a North American Intergovernmental Committee on Cooperation for Wilderness and Protected Areas Cooperation (“NAWPA Committee”) that is officially comprised of the heads of the signatory agencies: the CEO of Parks Canada; the Commissioner of CONANP; the Directors of NPS, USFWS, and BLM; the Chief of the USDA Forest Service; and the Director of USDA OEM. The agency heads in turn assign substantive work to their staff, who comprise a Working Committee made up of a Coordinating Group to provide intra-agency liaison and Working Groups that tackle top priority subject matter. The NAWPA Committee chair delegates leadership of agency staff to a Working Committee chair.
The WILD Foundation has been selected by the agency heads to facilitate the Working Committee and Working Groups.
When the NAWPA Committee met in Banff, they set forth three new working groups, building upon the work of the previous five working groups that had been operating since early 2010. By the direction set by the agency heads:
- The immediate work plan of Working Group One on The Role of Wilderness and Protected Areas in Responding to Climate Change is to: generate a tool of communication – a short, well designed document that is peer-reviewed, similar to the IUCN Natural Solutions booklet, explaining how protected areas are essential for climate change adaptation.
- The immediate work plan of Working Group Two on Ensuring the Relevance of Wilderness and Protected Areas in a Changing World is to: conduct a North American analysis to determine if there is a difference between the three countries in understanding the attitude toward protected areas and climate change, large landscape connectivity, and conservation management. The first step is an inventory of existing surveys and data to identify information gaps. If this reveals there is no comparable and useful data, the WG may propose a collaborative North American survey project.
- The immediate work plan of Working Group Three on Understanding and Communicating the Value of Ecological Goods and Services Provided by Wilderness and Protected Areas is to: produce an attractive brochure that defines ecosystem goods and services associated with wilderness and protected areas, using examples of protected areas across the three nations that range from large scale with connection to global issues to small scale with connection to local issues.
The NAW Committee Working Groups met in person in Oaxaca on May 16-17, 2011. An official report from this meeting can be made available to agency colleagues upon request. They have now each scheduled teleconferences during August to plan and achieve their prescribed objectives in time for submission at the second meeting of the NAWPA Committee agency heads in Key Largo at the end of November 2011. Additional tasks and emerging issues of concern to the agency heads will be discussed at that meeting.
The MOU on Cooperation for Wilderness & Protected Areas Conservation constitutes a big stride on the global trail towards a healthy and well-protected wilderness resource that safeguard biodiversity and other essential ecosystem services in the face of rapidly escalating global change.
Announcement of the MOU at WILD9
“Today it gives me great pleasure to announce that, within the framework of this 9th World Wilderness Congress, Mexico, Canada and the United States will be formalizing an important Cooperation Plan for Wilderness Conservation,” said President Calderon. “This Agreement will make it easier to exchange successful experiences, and facilitate monitoring and the training of human resources, as well as financing projects that will protect and recover wilderness areas.”
The MOU is available for download in: French, English and Spanish.
Watch video footage from WILD9
President Calderon Announces the MOU, English & Spanish
The Nahanni National Park, Canadian Wilderness, and First Nations
- Alan Latourelle, CEO, Parks Canada (English & Spanish);
- Grand Chief Samuel Gargan, Deh Cho First Nations (English);
Global Commitments
- The Honorable Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment, Canada (English & Spanish)
- Ernesto Enkerlin, President of the National Commission on Natural Protected Areas of Mexico, representing The Honorable Juan Elvira, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Mexico (English & Spanish)
- Dr. Sally Collins, Director of Ecosystem Services and Markest USDA, representing The Honorable Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture (English & Spanish)
Summary Keynotes
- Jon Jarvis, Director, US Department of Interior, National Park Service (English & Spanish)
- Sam Hamilton, Chief, US Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service (English & Spanish)
