This year, the symposium will focus on transboundary conservation, specifically across the US-Mexico border, which spans nearly 2,000 miles across six distinct ecoregions and shapes a landscape that is home to more than 15 million people. It represents a unique opportunity to explore how to improve conservation outcomes for both people and ecosystems – and how to do so in the context of multinational, transboundary collaboration. The symposium will explore such topics as opportunities for, and barriers to, effective conservation in Mexico and the border region; climate change impacts; how to balance cultural needs, sustainable economic development, security, and the health of natural systems; the role of Indigenous leadership; and how the region’s distinct history and biogeography offer insights and learnings for other parts of North America. The 2022 symposium will be a hybrid format, with options for both in-person attendance in Denver, CO, as well as virtual participation.
