Hands Across Borders: An International Workshop on Transboundary Conservation
Publisher: University of Montana
Author(s): Matthew McKinney and Charles Besancon
Date: 2016
Topics: Cooperation, Governance, Land
Fifty conservation leaders from six different continents came together in Glacier National Park in September 2016 to: • Recognize the role of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park as the world’s first international peace park and as an inspiration for international peace parks and transboundary conservation (TBC) throughout the world; • Celebrate Glacier National Park’s unique contribution to the 100th anniversary of the U.S. National Park Service as a partner in the only international peace park in North America; • Acknowledge the role of Rotary International and other local leaders in catalyzing, enabling, and supporting international peace parks and TBC initiatives; • Emphasize the unique role of indigenous people in TBC initiatives; • Exchange information, learn from each other, and chart a course for the future of TBC worldwide; • Build the capacity of participants to catalyze, enable, and sustain TBC initiatives; and • Inform and invigorate the global network of TBC practitioners. The participants represented 28 different TBC initiatives across 70 countries. Through a mix of presentations, problem-solving clinics, and field trips, the participants shared their experiences in catalyzing, enabling, and sustaining TBC initiatives across different types of ecosystems; social, economic, and political systems; and cultures and languages.