Since 1996, AGFD has implemented a Wetlands Training Program in collaboration with the Mexican Government and wetland scientists and managers from the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The Wetlands Training Program helps to meet the goals of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative (NABCI), the Arizona Bird Conservation Initiative (ABCI), and the Sonoran Joint Venture (SJV). The Department has also partnered with Mexico’s Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP) to officially celebrate World Wetlands Day in Mexico.
Over the years, the Wetlands Training Program has had many successes: The program created the first wetlands training manual in Spanish; created state wetlands committees for the states of Veracruz, Jalisco, and Baja California Sur; greatly increased the number of wetland sites in Mexico; developed a National Wetlands Strategy; and increased conservation measures for mangrove forests and coral reefs. Currently, AZGFD is collaborating with Mexican partners to develop a website that can function as an online clearing house of wetland related resource materials.
By the Numbers:
The Wetlands Training Program has trained more than 900 resource managers in Mexico.