U.S., Canada, and Mexico sign groundbreaking memorandum on wilderness conservation

  At the opening ceremony of the 9th World Wilderness Congress,  Mexico's President Calderon announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation for wilderness conservation had been signed between Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

In an opening speech to the 1200 delegates in attendance in Merido, Mexico on November 6th, President Calderon said, "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. 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 a groundbreaking achievement and recognizes the need for cross-cultural and cross-national cooperation in the light of growing evidence of the importance of wilderness conservation as a means of addressing, monitoring, and combating the impacts of climate change. 

MOU provisions also address ecosystems, migratory wildlife, and natural resources that cross political and geographic boundaries. Moreover, the MOU has vowed to embrace a cross-cultural approach by including native approaches to conserving wild nature, accommodation for indigenous customs, priorities for species survival, and national environmental policy. 

This historic agreement was the result of 18 months of work by the North American Governmental Advisory Committee, chaired by Ernesto Enkerlin-Hoeflich. Mr. Enkerlin-Hoeflich is the National Commissioner of the National Commission on Protected Areas (CONANP) of the United Mexican States.

Through his effort, seven wilderness management agencies across three countries signed the MOU. They include: 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, the Forest Service and Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources through the National Commission on Protected Areas (CONANP) of the United Mexican States.