Publication

Accomplishing this task of conservation and management in the face of unsustainable human development patterns promises to be one of the most pressing issues of the coming decades. Ribbon of Life marks the third report that the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has developed for the CEC Council under the authority of Article 13 of the NAAEC. This report puts forth a number of pragmatic actions aimed at balancing human activities with the preservation of important wildlife habitat along the upper San Pedro River. The process that gave rise to this report has been designed to foster cooperative efforts to ensure the continued health of the San Pedro watershed. The complexity of this issue, further exacerbated by the transboundary nature of the upper San Pedro basin, calls for the development of new and innovative mechanisms to manage shared habitat and the natural resources on which it depends. If adopted, the actions proposed here would serve to balance the often conflicting needs of humans and wildlife—meeting basic human water requirements without compromising the viability of important migratory bird habitat along the upper San Pedro River. The process followed in the study provides a concrete example of the CEC’s unique capacity to engender constructive dialogue and stimulate meaningful responses at a regional level and beyond. While it is far too early to conclude that the upper San Pedro River and its watershed are on a sustainable course, a growing number of public and private partnerships have come together with a renewed spirit and enthusiasm to find meaningful solutions in the basin. As a result, there is a brighter future on the horizon for one of North America’s pre-eminent habitats for migratory songbirds and other species.