Date: Friday, November 1, 2024
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior's U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Parks Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Mexico's Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources recently signed a new agreement to enhance cooperation and coordination for the conservation of the American bison across its range in the United States. north america. Through a letter of intent, states will work to pursue bison conservation, restore ecological processes, and support traditional human use of natural resources with a special focus on the unique historical relationship between bison and indigenous peoples.
This letter of intent was worked out at the recent Canada-Mexico-United States Tripartite Commission on Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management held in San Diego, California, and outlines additional transnational cooperation toward the shared United States, Mexico, and Canada goal of achieving the domestic goal of Preserve the local environment. Bison conservation. The Trilateral Commission began in 1996 as a pioneering initiative among the three countries to align efforts to protect North America's wildlife and ecosystems. The Commission's Species of Concern Work Table brings together state, federal, and tribal resource managers and nongovernmental organizations to share their expertise and coordinate the conservation of species that span the continent.
“Although the overall recovery of bison over the past 130 years is a conservation success story, significant work remains to ensure bison remain a viable species,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “Our collaborative efforts with Canada and Mexico are an important step forward as we work to restore this majestic species and facilitate the return of bison to ancestral, tribal-owned lands.”
The recently signed Letter of Intent outlines the various ways in which the three North American countries will work together, including through:
Improve cooperation in regional activities to promote effective policies, practices and methods to support the conservation of bison ecological culture; Promote joint action plans within the Tripartite Commission's working table on species of common conservation interest; Promote transparency around jointly developed technical information; and streamlining the process of reporting activities implemented under the letter of intent with the Executive Table of the Tripartite Commission for review.
These international efforts will continue to build on the Department of the Interior's efforts to restore native bison, including the Keystone Grassland Initiative. In 2023, Secretary Haaland issued a Secretary's Order and announced a $25 million investment to enable Department offices and partners to use the best available science and indigenous knowledge to help restore bison across the country. The order officially established a Bison Working Group (BWG) composed of representatives of the five offices that own bison stocks: the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Geological Survey. BWG is developing a Joint Bison Stewardship Plan, which will establish a comprehensive framework for American bison recovery, including strengthening long-term bison conservation partnerships. Central to the development of this plan will be strong engagement with Tribes, including prioritizing Tribal-led opportunities to establish new large herds owned or managed by Tribes and Tribal-led organizations.
The American bison once flourished across the largest native distribution of any large native herbivore in North America, ranging from the desert grasslands of the northern regions of Mexico to the interior of Alaska. After European settlement in North America, the bison population declined from an estimated 60 to 80 million to a mere 1,000 animals. These surviving bison were saved from extinction and became the founders of several protected groups that put the species on the path to recovery and conservation.
Today, bison remain absent from nearly 99 percent of their historic range. Most North American bison live in fenced-in herds, isolated from each other, of fewer than 1,000 individuals, raising concerns about their genetic integrity, ferocity and long-term viability.
Approximately 31,000 bison are currently managed by the United States, Canada, and Mexico with the goal of conserving the species and its role in the function of local grassland systems, as well as its place in indigenous culture.
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