In the Spotlight
Volunteers Breaking Observation Records to Support Monarch Butterfly Conservation Across North America
Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), 23 September 2025 — Over the past 15 years, monarch butterfly populations have faced serious challenges, but conservation efforts continue to grow. Canada, Mexico and the United States share a long history of working together to protect monarchs across their migratory range, including through Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) initiatives like the International Monarch Monitoring Blitz.
Topics
Climate Change
Supporting emissions reduction and helping communities adapt to extreme weather events
Environmental Justice
The pursuit of environmental justice (EJ) aims to address historical inequities, marginalization and discrimination in how environmental benefits and burdens are enjoyed or suffered by certain communities.
Ecosystems
Working with communities to conserve and restore North America's terrestrial and marine ecosystems and priority species
Enforcement
Supporting enforcement and compliance with domestic environmental law and with multilateral environmental agreements
Sustainable Living and Economies
Advancing the sustainability of our economic activities and life choices by identifying and fostering alternatives that effectively integrate the environmental, social and economic dimensions for a just and resilient North America
Pollutants
Promoting clean air, water and land through prevention, reductions, and sound management of pollutant releases, toxic chemicals and hazardous waste
Youth Engagement
Over the years, the CEC has been committed to youth engagement and the efforts supported have provided youth with opportunities to raise awareness, provide tangible, sustainable, and innovative solutions for environmental issues in their communities, and influence CEC’s strategies, projects, and initiatives.
Indigenous Affairs
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) recognizes the essential role that Indigenous Peoples and local communities play in environmental stewardship across Turtle Island, Madre Tierra, also known as North America. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), held by Indigenous Peoples, offers invaluable insights into sustainable practices, biodiversity conservation, environmental adaptability, and preparedness for environmental changes. The CEC is committed to fostering meaningful partnerships with Indigenous Peoples in Canada, Mexico and the United States, ensuring their perspectives and expertise are appropriately included in environmental decision-making and intentionally protected from misuse.
Featured Project
Fast Mitigation Strategies for Short-Lived Climate Pollutants
2024 Active SubTopic
Featured Publication
Long-term Impact Assessment of the North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA) Grant Program
November 18, 2024 8 pages
In 2010, the CEC Council decided to establish a new grant program, the North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (NAPECA), to promote model environmental initiatives that use innovation and flexibility to help build long-term partnerships that would improve environmental conditions at the community, Indigenous, local, and regional levels. This grant program also had the goal of supporting the priorities of the CEC’s five-year Strategic Plan.
Considering the intended objective of NAPECA to improve environmental conditions, the CEC commissioned a long-term impact assessment (LTIA) in 2023 to report on the process, results and long-term impacts of the grants in order to inform decisions affecting future implementation of the program. This report presents the main results of the second assessment of NAPECA,1 covering the cycles 2017–2018 and 2019–2020 and the selection process for the cycle 2022–2024.
Work With Us
Five-Year Review of the Implementation of the Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (ECA)
Consultant Opportunities
Deadline: October 10, 2025 5:00pm
Salary/Budget: The budget for this activity will not exceed C$80,000 (Canadian dollars).
Location: The Consultant will work in their own offices.
CEC
Three countries working together to protect our shared environment 💚🌎🇨🇦🇲🇽🇺🇸
🟢 Español — @ccaamericadelnorte
🟢 Français — @cceameriquedunord
🎉 This year we are celebrating the 15th anniversary of our North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (#NAPECA) grant program! As part of our celebrations, we are highlighting today the 2024-2026, United States’s grant recipient project “Poeh Povi, The Flower Path: Indigenous Matriarch Farmer Collective,” from Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute.
This inspiring project is addressing actions put forward by a collective of native women that aim to support pollinators and healthy habitats. This incredible group puts together their individual expertise through knowledge sharing, whether it is related to seed conservation, soil restoration, beekeeping, or medicinal plants. 🌱🐝🌿
One of the project’s objectives is to educate the members of their communities by putting together and distributing toolkits that contain information about plants, pollinators, wildflower seeds and mycelium. 🌱🦗
Join us in celebrating NAPECA’s 15-anniversary and listen from the voice of the grant recipients about the impact their project is having in their community:
👉 https://www.cec.org/grant-programs/north-american-partnership-for-environmental-community-action/
🚀Join us for our webinar series on Building Community Resilience in North America 🌿🌎 This three-part webinar series will bring together experts, communities and the public-at-large from Canada, Mexico and the United States to discuss pressing environmental challenges in the region.
🟢Webinar 1: The Environmental Health Impacts of Wildfires and Associated Toxins 🌲🔥
📌 Thursday 2 October
⏰ 1:30-3:00 PM ET
🟢Webinar 2: Mercury and Toxic Cosmetics in North America 🏭💄
📌 Thursday 23 October
⏰ 1:30-3:00 PM ET
🟢Webinar 3: The Impact of Changing Seasonality on Communities Across North America 🍂❄️
📌 Wednesday 12 November
⏰ 1:30-3:00 PM ET
👂🗣️ These webinars will be held in English, Spanish and French, with simultaneous interpretation provided.
Don’t miss out and join the conversation!
Learn more and register here:
👉More info link in bio!
🦋 Exciting News! This year, volunteers broke participation records during the 9th edition of the #MonarchBlitz!
From 25 July to 3 August 2025, more than 9,000 participants across Canada, Mexico and the US contributed over 33,000 #monarch sightings and more than 71,000 #milkweed observations! 🌱🦋
The data collected can help inform scientists, guide local actions and inspire communities to take part in conserving this iconic species!
A huge thank you to our incredible partners and to all the volunteers and organizations who shared their Blitz activities with us. Your contributions made this year’s Blitz a huge success!
Learn more about the encouraging results of this year’s #MonarchBlitz!
👉More info link in bio!
#CommunityScience
#ScienceStartsHere
#NorthAmerica
@canenvironment
@espacepourlavie
@cwf_fcf
@conanp_mx
@profauna_a.c
@correorealmx
@usfws
@monarchjointventure
@mlmpcitsci
@journeynorthorg
@xercessociety
@brandywinezoo
@georgia_dnr
@wissahickon.trails
naturalistart.jhj
@amleonardinc
🚀Exciting Opportunity! Looking for #consultants to support the five-year review of the implementation of the Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (ECA) 🌎🤝
The CEC was established in 1994 by the governments of Canada, Mexico and the United States through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), a side agreement to NAFTA. On 1 July 2020, the NAAEC was replaced by the ECA.
The objectives of the review are to:
🔵 Provide recommendations to help the Council improve the operations and effectiveness to achieve the ECA objectives.
🔵 Identify best practices and achievements related to environmental law enforcement in the three countries, as well as existing gaps and challenges in implementation.
🔵 Assess the CEC’s institutional capacity to foster public participation and improve transparency and accountability.
📌 Check out the full scope of work!
Deadline to submit proposals: Friday 10 October 2025.
👉More info link in bio!
📢📅 Mark your calendar for the CEC’s annual #YouthEngagementWeek (YEW)! The call for speakers and facilitators is now open.
This year’s theme: “Youth Breaking Silos”. Taking place online in Fall 2025 with three webinars.
🍂 Webinar 1: Youth-Driven Businesses and Intra/Entrepreneurship
🍂 Webinar 2: Youth & Indigenous and Traditional Ecological Knowledge
🍂Webinar 3: Youth & Subnational and Community Resilience Engagement
🟤 Become a 2025 YEW Facilitator
📌 Deadline, Tuesday 30 September
🟠 Become a 2025 YEW Speaker
📌 Deadline, Thursday 16 October
If you believe in intergenerational networks and the vital role of #youth perspectives to build a sustainable future in North America, then this opportunity might be for you!
Don’t miss out and join the conversation! To learn more read our newsletter here:
👉👉More info link in bio!
🎉 This year is the 15th anniversary of our North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (#NAPECA) grant program!
As part of our ongoing campaign, today we are highlighting the 2013-2015, Mexico’s grant recipient project “Local capacity building to apply alternative technologies and training on sustainable water management,” from Alternative Technology Innovation Center (Centro de Innovación en Tecnología Alternativa—CITA).
This inspiring project is addressing the installation of water and soil conservation systems, including rainwater harvesting, greywater filters, and ecological toilets, in communities of Tepoztlán, Morelos, Mexico that are facing water supply challenges. 🧱☔🚽
The CEC’s support has helped with local capacity building and trainings, notably with women and children, to make this project have a long-term impact for more than 10 years. 💧🌱
Join us in celebrating NAPECA’s 15-anniversary and listen from the voice of the grant recipients about the impact their project is having in their community:
👉More info link in bio!
🎉 This year is the 15th anniversary of our North American Partnership for Environmental Community Action (#NAPECA) grant program! Over the years, we have supported 100 projects and together, with our grantees, helped build long-term partnerships to improve environmental conditions at the community level and support local priorities.
Today we are highlighting the 2019-2020 Canada’s grant recipient project “Working with the community to reduce vulnerability to flooding” from @ncc_cnc
This inspiring project is addressing the risk of flooding and increasing aquatic connectivity in the Brochets River and Lake Champlain watersheds.
The CEC’s support has helped develop expertise in aquatic connectivity through an online map that show the culverts, and bridges that need to be replaced to limit the risk of flooding. 🗺️💧
Join us in celebrating NAPECA’s 15-anniversary and listen from the voice of the grant recipients about the impact their project is having in their community:
👉More info link in bio!
🚀💻 Are you on social media frequently? If you are and are interested in learning about how the CEC brings together Canada, Mexico and the US to work on a wide array of North American environmental issues 🌎 stay connected with us!
Don’t miss out on webinars, events, public consultations, consultant and grant opportunities, youth engagement activities and more.
Connect with us in one (or several) of our eleven social media platforms in English, Spanish and French.
Check them out here:
👉More info link in bio!
Follow us today and be part of our network!
The CEC is supporting efforts to promote circular economy and sustainable material management approaches across #NorthAmerica 🤝
Through three milestone studies from the project “Transforming Recycling and Solid Waste Management in North America” covering topics on paper, plastics, and bioplastics waste management, the CEC is working to:
♻️ Increase product and material reuse, recovery and recycling rates.
🌿 Encourage eco-design and responsible resource use.
🔄 Foster innovation in waste management and secondary markets.
Read these three waste management milestone studies for Canada and US here:
👉More info: link in bio!
These studies will soon be available for Mexico!
What We Do
We conduct research, provide tools and training, and provide a unique space for decision-makers and the public to engage on environmental policy issues affecting the North American region.