The north american intergovernmental committee on cooperation for wilderness and protected areas conservation (napa) is a collaborative initiative between leaders of six of the largest north…

This Project Grant award, valued at $166,362.00 and spanning from July 2024 to September 2025, was provided by the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination and Assistance program (CFDA 15.664). The award supports the provision of professional secretariat and coordinating services for the North American Intergovernmental Committee on Cooperation for Wilderness and Protected Areas Conservation (NAPA), a collaborative initiative between major North American land and resource management agencies. The grant recipient, The International Wilderness Leadership Foundation Inc. (doing business as The Wild Foundation), will facilitate the exchange of ideas, experiences, best practices, and innovative solutions on shared conservation opportunities across North America. The project aims to enhance transboundary cooperation for the conservation of protected areas, addressing priorities such as indigenous stewardship, ecosystem connectivity, climate change response, social science, and visitor experience.

The north american intergovernmental committee on cooperation for wilderness and protected areas conservation (napa) is a collaborative initiative between leaders of six of the largest north american land and resource management agencies. IT fosters the exchange of ideas experiences best practices and innovative solutions on shared conservation opportunities at the north american continental scale and across multiple agencies and jurisdictions. WWW.napacommittee.orgthe committee was established in 2009 through a voluntary memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU was renewed and signed by the leaders in november 2023. The MOU provides a framework to enhance transboundary cooperation for the conservation of protected areas that play a critical role in supporting the economy, improving human health and well-being, ecosystem services and responding to species conservation, quality water shortages, and other environmental challenges.napa continues to foster the exchange of ideas, experiences, best practices, and innovative solutions on shared conservation opportunities at the north american continental scale and across multiple agencies and jurisdictions. Additionally, to coordinate efforts on priority conservation issues. Current priority areas for napa include collaborative initiatives of TRI-national interest, such as indigenous stewardship of protected areas, ecosystem and landscape-scale connectivity, climate change response, social science, and visitor experience. The scope of work is wide-ranging and focuses upon the provision of professional secretariat services to an inter-governmental committee. Wild foundation provides secretarial and coordinating services, in whole or in part, for the effective and efficient coordination of the napa committee, its subsidiary bodies, or any other undertaking decided by the committee.