North American Summit on Collaborating with Wildlife in Park Gateways
What is the purpose of the Summit?
Drawing large, multi-sector participation from across the continent, the CW Summit aims explore, establish, and resource Models & Methodologies for Collaborating with Wildlife (CW) impacting the way North American societies understand and act toward native species. It acts on the basis that wildlife and humans are not separate but together part of a single, interconnected system—while acknowledging that wildlife are losing the competition for resources and habitat occupation. CW evolves concepts of wildlife as merely subordinate, consumptive resources, or threats to human health and safety. Instead, CW acts on a concept of wildlife as intrinsically and functionally collaborative toward sustaining nature.
Why Park Gateways?
In the CW Summit context, the term “park” generically describes protected natural areas maintained for wildlife. Accessible parks draw increasing tourism and recreation and attracting new residents bringing development to park outskirts. Being lost at a rapid clip are the family farms, ranches and other areas which often serve as extended open space for park wildlife. Land and ocean habitats alike are increasingly traversed by traffic and changed by infrastructure. Displacement, intolerance, and habitat loss are common challenges for wildlife venturing outside today’s parks.
