Council Resolution: 07-09
Distribution: General
C/C.01/07/RES/09/
Final ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Morelia, 27 June 2007
COUNCIL RESOLUTION 07-09
THE COUNCIL:
RECOGNIZING that the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), with its multi-generational and international migration, is emblematic of the interdependence of our linked ecosystems and that it is our collective responsibility to protect this continent-wide ecological phenomenon;
NOTING that it takes several generations for the Monarch butterfly to complete its migratory cycle, encompassing its northern habitats and its over-wintering sites that are concentrated in the mountains in central Mexico for the eastern Monarch populations, and in California for the western populations;
ACKNOWLEDGING the need for additional ecological and socio-economic information to better protect the Monarch butterfly and its habitats, while supporting local socio-economic development;
FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGING the leadership of Mexico in forging a regional alliance through the “Regional Monarch Butterfly Forum” (Foro Regional Mariposa Monarca) to integrate and coordinate conservation and sustainable development initiatives to effectively stop habitat degradation and promote sustainable livelihoods;
FURTHER RECOGNIZING the leadership of Mexico in addressing deforestation in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve;
MINDFUL of the work that the Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management (hereinafter “Trilateral Committee”) has done to protect and restore the wintering habitat of the Monarch butterfly, and to promote the Monarch’s conservation through public outreach and environmental education;
ALSO MINDFUL of the work of numerous nongovernmental organizations, universities and schools, and states and provinces in protecting the health of Monarch populations and habitats; Council Resolution 07-09
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT the Parties’ efforts to establish a Trilateral Monarch Butterfly Sister Protected Area Network to provide opportunities for transboundary communication and collaboration on projects of mutual interest in support of continental Monarch butterfly conservation; and
CONSIDERING the current activities of the multi-stakeholder collaborative effort initiated at the Monarch Flyway Conservation Workshop in Mission, Texas, developed further at the Regional Monarch Butterfly Forum in Morelia, Mexico, and endorsed by the Trilateral Committee meeting in May 2007 in Quebec City, to prepare a North American Monarch Conservation Plan to coordinate efforts directed at the conservation of the Monarch butterfly and its migratory phenomenon;
HEREBY AGREES TO:
DIRECT the Secretariat to support the existing multi-stakeholder, collaborative effort to develop a North American Monarch Conservation Plan, with the aim of maintaining healthy Monarch populations and habitats throughout the migration flyway supported by a Trilateral Monarch Butterfly Sister Protected Area Network and local communities;
SUPPORT the exchange of information for decision making on matters such as: the Monarch population health and status in the breeding, wintering and migrating stages; the condition of habitats throughout the flyway; and key socio-economic stressors;
EXPLORE synergies with ongoing activities of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), including the Harnessing Market Forces for Sustainability project;
PROMOTE the implementation of capacity building activities at local, national and regional levels, such as: training for “campesino-to-campesino” projects, North American web based school-to-school monitoring/reporting initiatives, and community training on sustainable practices;
SUPPORT coordination among local, national and international NGOs involved in the conservation of the Monarch butterfly habitat and migratory phenomenon;
FURTHER DIRECT that an amount not to exceed C$60,000 from the CEC General Fund be allocated in financial year 2007 to support and facilitate, including through stakeholder meetings, development of the North American Monarch Conservation Plan; and
INSTRUCT the Secretariat as it develops the CEC’s 2008-2010 Operational Plan to recommend activities for the conservation of the Monarch butterfly for Council’s consideration.
2 Council Resolution 07-09
APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL:
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John Baird
Government of Canada
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Juan Elvira Quesada
Government of the United Mexican States
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Stephen L. Johnson
Government of the United States of America
Trinational cooperation to conserve the Monarch butterfly and promote sustainable local livelihoods