Memorandum of Understanding

Establishing the Canada/Mexico/United States Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management

[MOU is also available as a .pdf]

Memorandum of Understanding Establishing the Canada/Mexico/United States Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management

Environment Canada, through the Canadian Wildlife Service, the Secretaria de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (SEMARNAP), through the Unidad Coordinadora de Asuntos Internacionales, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, hereinafter called “the Parties”.

DESIRING to facilitate the conservation of species and the ecosystems on which they depend;

CONSIDERING that the Governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States are signatories to a number of Treaties and Conventions that provide for bilateral, trilateral or multilateral cooperation related to the conservation of species and the ecosystems on which they depend; including but not limited to the following :

a) 1916 Convention Between the United States and Great Britain for the Protection of Migratory Birds,

b) 1936 Treaty for the Protection of Migratory Birds and Game Mammals, between Mexico and the United States,

c) 1940 Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere,

d) 1971 Convention of Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat,

e) 1973 Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora,

f) 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity,

g) 1993 North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation.

CONSIDERING that a number of arrangements have been created to facilitate cooperation between “national entities” relative to the conservation of species and the ecosystems on which they depend, including those establishing the following committees preceding this Memorandum of Understanding:

a) The Mexico-U.S. Joint Committee on Wildlife and Plant Conservation, created in 1975 by an interagency agreement (revised in 1984) to facilitate cooperation between the current Dirección General de Conservación y Aprovechamiento Ecológico de México (formerly within SEDUE and SEDESOL) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Department of the Interior); and

b) The Tripartite Committee for the Conservation of Migratory Birds and their Habitat, created in 1988 by a Memorandum of Understanding among the Canadian Wildlife Service (Environment Canada), the Dirección General de Conservación y Aprovechamiento Ecológico de México (SEMARNAP), and the United States Fish and Wildlife Services (Department of the Interior);

AFFIRMING that the establishment of a Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management will replace the above agreements with the aim of facilitating the efficient and effective coordination of these cooperative activities;

AGREE on the following :

ARTICLE I

PURPOSE

To facilitate and enhance coordination , cooperation and the development of partnerships among the wildlife agencies of the three countries, and with other associated and interested entities, regarding projects and programmes for the conservation and management of wildlife, plants, biological diversity and ecosystems of mutual interest, the Parties hereby establish the Canada/Mexico/United States Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystems Conservation and Management, hereinafter called the “Trilateral Committee”. Such projects and programs will include scientific research, law enforcement, sustainable use and any other aspect related to this purpose.

ARTICLE II

ORGANIZATION

1. The Trilateral Committee will comprise the following members:

a) the Director General of the Canadian Wildlife Service;

b) the Chief of the Unidad Coordinadora de Asuntos Internacionales of the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries of Mexico; and

c) the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

2. Each member will designate an organizational contact.

3. The Trilateral Committee will meet once a year. These meetings will be organized, on a rotational basis, by each of the Parties signatory to this Memorandum of Understanding. Special meetings of the Directors or their support staff may be held as needed.

4. The Trilateral Committee may establish sub-committees or working groups to provide advice regarding particular program areas or assignments.

5. The Trilateral Committee may invite representatives of other entities, non-governmental organizations or individuals, to participate in their deliberations, and as appropriate, will facilitate cooperation with such entities.

ARTICLE III

FUNCTIONS

1. The Trilateral Committee will perform the following functions:

a) Implement this Memorandum of Understanding in accordance with the international Treaties and Conventions referenced in the preamble as well as with the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (as revised in 1994), the federal, state, provincial and local laws, and the conservation priorities of each country;

b) Develop, implement, review and coordinate specific cooperative conservation projects and programs; and

c) Integrate its projects and programs into the conservation priorities of the country in which those projects and programs take place.

d) Any other functions that the Parties may agree upon.

ARTICLE IV

OPERATIONS

1. Decisions will be made through a consensus of the Chief of the Unidad Coordinadora de Asuntos Internacionales and the Directors or their designated representatives.

2. A preliminary agenda will be prepared and distributed at least four weeks prior to the meeting by the Organizational Contact of the host country.

3. Projects and programs decided upon at the annual Trilateral Committee meeting will be followed-up in a timely manner.

4. The Organizational Contact of the host agency will prepare and distribute minutes within two weeks following the meeting.

5. The Organizational Contacts will coordinate the implementation of cooperative projects and programs in the three countries.

6. Activities undertaken pursuant to this Memorandum of Understanding will be subject to the availability of funds and other relevant resources available to each Director, to the Chief of the Unidad Coordinadora, and to the laws and regulations of the countries involved.

ARTICLE V

FINAL PROVISIONS

1. This Memorandum of Understanding will take effect upon signature, and will remain in effect for a period of five years, extended automatically for similar time periods, unless any of the Parties wishes to withdraw by giving written notification to the other Parties three months in advance of the desired date of termination.

2. The termination of this Memorandum of Understanding will not affect the completion of cooperative actions formalized while it was in force.

3. This Memorandum of Understanding may be modified by mutual agreement among the Parties, formalized through written communications, in which the date in which such modifications will enter into force shall be specified.

DONE in the City of Oaxaca on the ninth day of April of the year One Thousand, Nine Hundred Ninety Six, in three originals, each in the Spanish, French and English languages, each of texts being equally authentic.

For Environment Canada the Canadian Wildlife Service	For the Secretaria de Medio Ambiente, Recursos Naturales y Pesca de Mexico	For the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
David Brackett Director General	Jose Luis Samaniego Leyva Chief, Unidad Coordinadora de Asuntos Internacionales	John G. Rogers Director