Shared Heritage, Shared Stewardship Connects Sister Parks in the US-Mexico

From February 25-29, 2008, the Shared Heritage, Shared Stewardship: Connecting Sister Parks in the U.S. and Mexico Conference was held at Grand Canyon National Park in support of the initiative to overcome language barriers and preconceived cultural identities that can lead to misunderstandings.  This conference, jointly organized by the National Parks Service (NPS) and Mexico’s Comisión Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP), brought together representatives from ten United States park units, seven Mexican protected areas, regional and central offices of CONANP and NPS, four U.S. federal agencies, and nine non-governmental agencies from both sides of the border.

Participants arrived at the Grand Canyon National Park on Monday and were warmly greeted with a welcome dinner and a message by Grand Canyon Superintendant Steve Martin.  During the remainder of the conference, participants engaged in sessions which enabled them to discuss what types of collaborative projects have been undertaken by the most active Sister Parks, took part in round-table discussions about what other bi-national groups have gained through partnerships, and attended presentations by important members in the field working in such areas as conservation, protection and maintenance issues, funding opportunities, and action plans.  Members of the community such as CONANP Regional Directors Carlos Castillo Sánchez and Julio Carrera Lopez facilitated parallel sessions, and representatives from organizations like PeaceCorps Mexico, ProFauna, Unidos para la Conservación, and WWF held various discussions.  By the end of the conference, participants had the tools and resources to begin implementing their own Sister Park Action proposals and projects.  The NPS Office of International Affairs’ Jonathan Putnam was quick to point out that “our parks and protected areas share numerous species…which pay no attention to park or international boundaries.”

The conference successfully helped participants invent and collaborate to inform their local communities about the importance of protecting parks and reserves in both the United States and Mexico and in large but fragile ecosystems like the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts.  They discussed how coordinating efforts and information can save land management agencies both time and money and prove critically important to the preservation of species of birds, bats, butterflies, and even whales that regularly migrate from country to country.

Sister Park arrangements are partnerships intended to improve international cooperation and cross-cultural understanding by increasing the exchange of lessons learned, techniques and practices, and information and ideas between internationally recognized protected areas with similar concerns and challenges.  For more information, please contact Shannan Marcak at 928-638-7958 or Jonathan Putnam at 202-354-1809.