Introduction to the National Park Service's International Activities The National Park Service is involved in a variety of international activities. The Service provides Technical Assistance and Exchange to a variety of nations around the world. International exchange is truly a two-way street: the National Park Service learns much from working with international partners. One way of formalizing technical assistance and exchange is to create a Sister Park relationship between a park in the United States and a park in a another country. The World Heritage Convention lists natural and cultural areas of global importance. The International Volunteers program places international park professionals and students of park management, ecology and related subjects in U.S. National Parks. The World Protected Areas Leadership Forum draws together directors and CEOs of protected area agencies from across the globe. The National Park Service frequently hosts International Visitors to Washington and to a great many units of the NPS. Park Flight is a cooperative initiative between the National Park Service, the National Park Foundation, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and American Airlines to help Central American nations protect neotropical bird species which migrate between North and Central America. |