Hands Across Borders - An international workshop on transboundary conservation, held in Glacier National Park, USA, from 13-18 September 2016, gathered about 50 transboundary conservation practitioners and leaders from six different continents. Through a mix of presentations, problem-solving clinics, and field trips, the participants shared their experiences in catalyzing, enabling, and sustaining transboundary conservation initiatives across different types of ecosystems, social, economic, and political systems, and cultures and languages. The workshop topics included cooperative management, transboundary conservation governance, and sustainable financing, while an open space session focused on decision-supporting tools, civil society engagement and future leaders.

The workshop built on the IUCN WCPA’s Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Transboundary Conservation: a systematic and integrated approach (2015) and served as a pilot project, the first of what the organizers hope will be a series of similar workshops throughout the world. Co-Chairs of the WCPA Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group, Maja Vasilijević and Kevan Zunckel, and Vice-Chair, Michael Schoon, served in the leadership team, and convened also a members meeting attended by 15 Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group members.

The workshop was organised by the University of Montana, US National Park Service, Parks Canada, IUCN WCPA Transboundary Conservation Group, International Peace Park Expeditions, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park Association, Glacier National Park Conservancy, Calgary Foundation, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, and supported by many sponsors. It was coordinated with the annual conference of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park Assembly, in part to recognize the essential role of Rotary Clubs and the private sector in catalyzing and facilitating peace parks and transboundary cooperation throughout the world.

Agenda, presentations, report and additional materials are available here.