Overview & Background
It is widely accepted that most national parks are simply too small to fulfill their mission of preserving natural and cultural resources on their own. Park managers know that to fulfill their mandate, they cannot manage a protected area as an isolated island, but must seek opportunities to partner with neighboring land owners and the local community. National parks around the world are all ultimately linked together by a variety of natural and cultural phenomena. Migratory species such as birds, butterflies, sea turtles, whales and other marine life that breed in parks in North America and Europe migrate through and spend the winter in protected areas throughout Central and South America, Africa and Asia. Air pollution created in one country causes environmental damage to parks in other countries even thousands of miles away. Non-native invasive species wreak havoc on native flora and fauna. Diseases such as “Mad Cow Disease” are transported around the world in a matter of hours. Many U.S. national parks also preserve and interpret important aspects of the cultural heritage of the various peoples who settled the nation, such Mesa Verde, the Statue of Liberty and New Orleans Jazz.
Several NPS sites have established "sister park" relationships in the last few years with national parks in other countries. These partnerships increase information sharing and direct park-to-park contacts to address many of the common issues mentioned above, primarily through improved telecommunications technologies. While these relationships are driven by the parks themselves, the NPS Office of International Affairs provides advice, guidelines and a State Department-cleared template for establishing sister park relationships.
Existing relationships
More than 30 NPS sites currently maintain active relationships with parks in other countries. Many are located along the U.S.- Mexico & U.S.-Canada borders, where international cooperation is particularly important. For example, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona has a successful relationship with the Pinacate and Alto de Golfo Biosphere Reserves in Mexico. The three protected areas cooperate in monitoring shared species, such as bats & reptiles, & the Sonoran pronghorn, as well as air quality monitoring.
In southeastern Arizona and northern Sonora, the NPS sites at Chiracahua National Monument, Fort Bowie National Historic Site and Coronado work closely with Mexico’s Ajos-Bavispe Bioshpere Reserve. These parks collaborate in variety of activities, including bird monitoring, research into the effects of fire management practices, and training in search & rescue and environmental education.
Along the Rio Grande river that separates the U.S. & Mexico, Big Bend National Park (left) works with the Maderas del Carmen and Cañon de Santa Elena Flora and Fauna Protection Areas. The three protected areas cooperate in species monitoring, water quality monitoring, invasive species removal, and training in fire fighting and management.
Perhaps the “ultimate” Sister Park relationship exists between Glacier NP & Canada’s Waterton Lakes NP. In 1932 they were designated by the U.S. & Canada as Glacier Waterton International Peace Park, the world’s first transfrontier park. In 1995 the parks were jointly designated a World Heritage Site. In 1998, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Alaska and Canada’s Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site were designated by both governments as the Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park. Many U.S. & Canadian parks cooperate across the entire spectrum of park issues.
Sister park relationships are benefiting from public-private partnerships, particularly some of the newest sister parks, established with Asian and European counterpart protected areas. Yosemite NP’s relationship with China’s Huangshan NP is supported by the Yosemite Fund, while Sequoia-Kings Canyon NP’s relationship with Cambodia’s Samlaut Protected Area has the backing of the Maddox-Jolie Project. Rocky Mountain NP has also established a trilateral sister park relationship with the transboundary national parks of Poland & Slovakia, both known as Tatras NP, while Cape Krusenstern NM in Alaska is now partnered with Greenland’s Ilulissat Icefjord. Both of these sister park partnerships were initiated by U.S. Embassies in the host countries.
State Department Guidance on Non-Binding Agreements
NPS List of Sister Park arrangements by country
Sister Park News
Rocky Mountain NP establishes Sister Park relationship with Tatra National Park in Poland (Article courtesy of Estes Park Trail-Gazette: November 2007)
Sister Park Intent Agreement Signed with Mongolia (October 23, 2007)
Mesa Verde announces new Sister Park relationships (Press Release) with several Mexican National Parks
Sister Cultural Parks Conference Summary