International Activities | Stories
Canada/Mexico/U.S Trilateral Committee
In 1996, the wildlife conservation agencies of the United States, Mexico, and Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing the Canada/Mexico/US Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management. This agreement formally brought together for the first time the three nations of North America, consolidating a continental effort for wildlife and ecosystem conservation and management. The Endangered Species Program is the U.S. co-chair for the subgroup Shared Species Working Table. Any U.S. Federal agency planning to undertake endangered species field work in Mexico or Canada should coordinate it through this Working Table.
Learn more about the wildlife and ecosystem conservation work being done by this committee.
U.S. - Canada Framework for Cooperation
In April 1997, the U.S. and Canadian governments signed a Framework to cooperate in identifying and recovering shared species at risk. The official title is the "Framework for Cooperation between the U.S. Department of the Interior and Environment Canada in the Protection and Recovery of Wild Species at Risk." The goal of the Framework is to prevent populations of wild species shared by the United States and Canada from becoming extinct as a consequence of human activity, through the conservation of wildlife populations and the ecosystems on which they depend.
Download the Conserving Borderline Species report [4.84MB] developed jointly by the Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service to identify ten shared species of concern.
North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation
This organization is funded by Mexico, Canada and the U.S. and employs a non-governmental staff. The Federal lead for NACEC for the U.S. is the Environmental Protection Agency. The Service's Endangered Species Program works with a subgroup of NACEC under its Conservation of Biodiversity program.
Access the NACEC web site for the latest news, project information and events.
Download the Species of Common Conservation Concern [496KB] report developed by the NACEC's Conservation of Biodiversity program to identify binational and/or trinational collaborative actions to support or implement recovery plans or actions for migratory and transboundary species that are at risk, and species that are of conservation concern to one or more member countries.
Canadian Wildlife Service
The Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) plays a prominent role in the protection of species at risk. CWS developed and promoted the adoption of the Species at Risk Act (SARA). This act, which came into effect in 2003, protects species from extinction and their critical habitat from disappearance, and it ensures their recovery. The CWS is also a founding member of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), which assesses the status of species at risk in Canada.
Access the CWS web site to learn more.
Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Ecologia
This agency seeks to generate scientific and technical information on environmental issues and training of human resources, in order to inform society, support decision making, encourage the protection of the environment, promote the sustainable use of natural resources, and support the Secretary of the Environment and Natural Resources in reaching its goals.
Access the INE web site to learn more.
Mexico's Comisión Nacional para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO)
CONABIO is a permanent inter-ministerial commission of the Federal Mexican government. Established in 1992, CONABIO has the primary purpose of coordinating, supporting and executing activities and projects designed to foment understanding of biodiversity within Mexico and the surrounding region. As a governmental agency CONABIO produces and collates biodiversity data and assessments across Mexico's varied ecosystems. It also either administers or guides a range of biological conservation and sustainability projects with the intention of securing benefits to Mexican society as a whole.
Access the CONABIO web site to learn more.
The Endangered Species Bulletin
Since 1976, real-life international endangered species stories have been documented in the Endangered Species Bulletin. It is distributed on-line four times per year. Below, you can find some selected stories from past issues that spotlight recovery efforts in general or for specific species.
International Wildlife Conservation Edition - Spring 2010
CITES Gives Hope to the Queen Conch - Summer 2009 [2.4MB]
CITES Edition - September 2005 [980KB]
Mexico Edition - May/June 2003 [740 KB]
Fish and Wildlife Service Newsroom
The Virtual News Room on the Fish and Wildlife Service web site contains many news releases addressing species recovery of an international nature. Below are just a couple of stories.
Whooping Crane Population Reaches Record High
California Condors Return to Mexico
Access the news release search engine to find more international stories.