The Commission on Environmental Cooperation, in concert with a trinational group of experts, has identified North American species of common conservation concern (SCCC). These terrestrial and marine species comprise a group of important migratory, transboundary and endemic species selected from among the continent’s great wealth of wild flora and fauna, which require regional cooperation for their effective conservation.

Terrestrial species of common conservation concern were selected in 1999 by an experts’ working group convened by the CEC. Initially, consultants to the CEC compiled lists of bird and mammal species taken from national endangered species lists in all three countries. The intent was to identify species that would benefit most from collaborative action among two or all three countries. Given the respective mandates of the participating wildlife agencies in the three countries, only birds and mammals were included the initial lists. A workshop with experts from the three countries was then convened to identify both mandatory and recommended criteria for selection of species of common conservation concern. The criteria were as follows:

Mandatory criteria:

Species must be transboundary or migratory, and thus exist in at least two of the participating countries. Transboundary species for consideration included both shared populations, as well as populations of species that extend their range across international boundaries, but are not a shared population.

Selected species for this pilot project must be either a bird or mammal. Birds listed under existing bilateral treaties are of particular interest.

Recommended criteria:

Priority will be given to bird and mammal species that are endangered or threatened in one or more countries, extirpated from at least one country, or are species of special conservation concern. The latter category includes species that are designated as Rare or require Special Protection in Mexico, candidate species for listing in the United States, and species designated as Vulnerable by COSEWIC in Canada. Species of conservation concern for this project also includes those species that are of ecological or other significance, including keystone, umbrella, flagship, indicator, and endemic species; species of taxonomic rarity; and instances where a high percentage of the global population occurs in North America.

Priority will also be given to selecting species that are likely to successfully demonstrate the importance of trilateral or bilateral cooperation, and increase awareness of biodiversity issues across North America.

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