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Abstract
Although increasingly separated by physical and political barriers, the lands on either side of the US-Mexico are united by shared ecosystems, watersheds, and conservation issues. Both sides of the border contain numerous protected natural areas, including parks, forests, and wildlife refuges, and some of the national parks in the two countries are designated "sister parks" in a formal program that encourages collaboration and mutual support. This paper, based on a workshop held at the Madrean Conference, explores the many challenges and opportunities in creating on the ground conservation partnerships across the border. A important issue for biologists, park rangers, and other government employees in both the US and Mexico is the difficulty in obtaining permission to cross the international border, so working with non-governmental organizations that provide greater travel flexibility is essential. Other challenges include language barriers that make communication more complicated, staff turnover that can affect established relationships, and barriers to sharing data that would aid conservation of shared wildlife species. Workshop participants agreed that while maintaining formal US-Mexico sister park and other conservation partnerships is difficult, the work is important and will only become more so. We provide examples of how barriers to cooperative cross-border conservation can be overcome, and highlight a few examples of successful programs, including spring and biodiversity initiatives in sister parks in southeastern Arizona and northern Sonora, and the pronghorn restoration project in the Pinacate-Organ Pipe-Cabeza Prieta region.
Parent Publication
Keywords
forest restoration,
history,
climate,
soils,
vegetation,
geomorphology,
watersheds,
water quality,
water quantity,
fluvial ecosystems,
fish and invertebrate fauna,
riparian ecosystems
Citation
Swann, Don E.; Christianson, David; Galan, Mario Cirett; Manteca, Mirna; Avilla, Sergio; Bentley, Christopher. 2022. Sister parks: Challenges and best practices for cross-border conservation in parks and protected areas. In: Neary, D. G.; Gottfried, G. J., eds. Collaboration Now for the Future: IV Conference on the Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean Archipelago. Proceedings RMRS-P-79. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 39-44.
