Senior Professor of Ecology, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
July 2025
Despite our growing global interdependence, many countries are choosing to ignore or directly damage biodiversity at the cost of their own future and that of the rest of the world. Faltering regional alliances and increasing isolationism threaten to exacerbate environmental breakdown, making this situation more urgent than ever. Democratic governance, within and across borders, is critical to successfully stemming the loss of biodiversity decline and securing a future for all life.
The conservation of biodiversity and the health of democratic institutions are not isolated national concerns but shared regional responsibilities. Nowhere is this more evident than among neighboring countries that share ecosystems, species, and ecological landscapes. Rivers flow across borders, migratory species traverse vast territories encompassing multiple countries, and air pollution generated in one nation can have devastating consequences for its neighbors. The interwoven fates of countries that share transboundary ecosystems highlight the profound connection between democracy and biodiversity conservation
This essay explores the synergies and tensions between democracy and biodiversity conservation in neighboring nations and the opportunities and risks of not cooperating. It argues that cooperative democratic governance enhances ecological resilience and sustainability, and promotes benefits for all societal entities involved, as well as for the ecosystems in the region.
Biodiversity Knows No Borders
Biodiversity does not respect political boundaries. From jaguar corridors across Central America to migratory birds traveling between Canada, the United States, and Mexico, ecosystems and species transcend human-made borders. The University of Arizona-based EMIGRA group, which includes scientists, students, and citizen scientists, stresses the importance of reciprocal, telecoupled benefits to the survival of species and ecosystems. Telecoupled benefits are like supply chains. For example, the ability of a migratory species in one country to provide ecosystem services such as pest control or ecotourism activities depends on the conservation efforts for that species in another country. The complex interconnectedness and interactions of species and ecosystems means that conservation efforts that stop at national boundaries are often insufficient and futile.
Effective biodiversity conservation in such contexts demands regional collaboration, mutual trust and respect, and integrated management strategies. These imperatives are best supported by transparent, multi-sector, participatory, and accountable democratic governance. This year we celebrate 30 years of one of the most impactful of these agreements: the Canada/Mexico/US Trilateral Committee for Wildlife and Ecosystem Conservation and Management (hereafter, the Trilateral). Sadly, today, one partner—the one in the geographical middle of the focal region—is all but absent in this meaningful, evocative year and this has led to the postponement of this landmark meeting until further notice.
The concept of “ecological connectivity” is central to understanding this interdependence. It refers to the degree to which landscapes facilitate or impede the movement of organisms and the flow of ecological processes. When neighboring countries fail to cooperate on conservation efforts, habitats can easily become fragmented, hindering animal movements and isolating populations of species, thus increasing their vulnerability to extinction. Transboundary protected areas, such as national parks and corridors that extend across borders, offer a powerful, effective tool for maintaining ecological connectivity and promoting regional collaboration.
Migratory species such as the bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), which breeds in Canada and the northern United States and winters in South America, demonstrate the sheer geographic scale of biodiversity interdependence. The conservation of this species, like many others, hinges on international cooperation across vastly different political, ecological, and socioeconomic contexts. Similarly, marine migratory species like the leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) traverse multiple national waters during their life cycle, demanding cross-border marine governance that aligns with biodiversity protection goals.
Another emblematic example is the migration of dragonflies like Pantala flavescens, which travel thousands of kilometers from the U.S. to Central and South America. Despite their size, these insects complete some of the longest known migrations on Earth and contribute to local food webs and ecological balance across borders. Protecting migratory routes for such species involves not only landscape-scale habitat preservation but also pesticide regulation and freshwater ecosystem management.
Democracy and Environmental Stewardship
Democracy plays a vital role in fostering conservation. Democratic systems allow for public participation, civil society engagement, and press freedom, all of which are essential for holding governments and industry accountable for environmental harm and for promoting sustainable policies. When communities have the right to be heard, and when environmental defenders are protected, conservation outcomes tend to be stronger and more equitable. Conversely, democratic erosion can undermine biodiversity by enabling unchecked exploitation of natural resources.
A democratic framework that is inclusive, expeditious, and includes proper law enforcement mechanisms allows for adaptive policymaking in the face of biodiversity threats. For example, legislative bodies can respond to emerging evidence of species declines by revising conservation priorities, enhancing existing or creating new funding mechanisms, and implementing emergency actions to mitigate or stop the threat in a swift manner. This responsiveness is crucial in protecting migratory species whose needs may change rapidly due to climate or habitat shifts. Democratic institutions, through feedback mechanisms and pluralistic decision-making, are uniquely positioned to adapt and coordinate responses at national and transnational levels. In democratic systems, governments, industry, and other actors are accountable to their citizens for their actions, including those related to environmental protection. Transparency in decision-making, access to information, and mechanisms for oversight help to prevent corruption and ensure that conservation funds are used effectively, and conservation goals are achieved. Equally important, a free press plays a vital role in holding governments accountable, giving voice to activists, scientists, rightsholders, and other stakeholders, and raising public awareness about environmental challenges.
Case Study: North America
North America offers a compelling illustration of biodiversity-democracy interdependence. The United States, Mexico, and Canada share very high numbers of migratory species, including monarch butterflies, gray whales, bats, sharks, sea turtles, and a great diversity of songbirds, hummingbirds, and raptors. These species depend on the efforts to conserve their habitats in all three countries, making trilateral cooperation essential. Agreements such as the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), established under NAFTA (now USMCA), and the Trilateral, exemplify how democratic institutions can enable collaborative conservation. Civil society input and scientific transparency are key components of these agreements, reflecting democratic principles in action.
Migratory species also serve as powerful symbols of ecological interdependence among nations. The monarch butterfly, for example, completes a journey in which the same individuals that leave Canada in the fall, arrive in central Mexico about six weeks later, and then it takes the species three generational cycles to fly back to Canada. Its successful migration and breeding depend on the protection of milkweed in the north and oyamel fir forests in the south. Similarly, the gray whale travels along the Pacific coasts of all three countries, requiring coordinated marine protection measures. These examples underscore how conservation success hinges not only on local policies but on sustained, cooperative democratic governance across borders. All three countries often take pride in their work to protect these and many other species and highlight and express their honor and satisfaction protecting them, thus emphasizing the importance of international cooperation for successful, effective conservation.
In recent years, with the aid of leading-edge technology, scientists have been able to track migratory bats such as the Mexican free-tailed bat Tadarida brasiliensis using satellite telemetry and tequila bats Leptonycteris yerbabuenae using pit tag transponders. Technologies like these have revealed intricate patterns of seasonal movement across the continent. These bats contribute significantly to pest control in agricultural landscapes, to pollination of essential crops such as agaves used for tequila and mezcal, and to iconic, keystone species such as columnar cacti like saguaro, cardon, organ pipe and more. Collaborative research and policy coordination across North America help preserve their roosting sites and feeding grounds, thereby enhancing food security, reducing the need for chemical pesticides, and securing the future of the Sonoran Desert with its magnificent stately columnar cacti. And we can’t forget the indispensable agave. The world would indeed be a sadder place without tequila and mezcal, for which we can thank migratory bats and the collaborative conservation efforts on both sides of the border.
Case Study: The Amazon Basin
The Amazon Basin, stretching across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, and several other countries, presents another case. While rich in biodiversity, it is also a region of political instability, contested governance, and authoritarian tendencies. Where democratic processes are weak or under threat, illegal deforestation, mining, and land grabbing flourish. In contrast, where Indigenous rights are respected and participatory governance is strong, forest conservation improves. Bolivia and Colombia have demonstrated that inclusive environmental governance can yield tangible conservation benefits. In Bolivia, the recognition of Indigenous Territories and the incorporation of Indigenous forest management practices into national policy frameworks has led to reduced deforestation in community-managed areas. In Colombia, the Constitutional Court ruling T-622 of 2016 granted legal personhood to the Atrato River, incorporating Afro-Colombian and Indigenous cosmovisions into environmental governance. This decision has empowered local communities to play a central role in protecting ecological systems and ensuring cultural continuity.
The Amazon is also home to many migratory species, including birds, fish, and insects that cross multiple national boundaries within the basin. Migratory fish species such as the six-foot long gilded catfish Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii carry out one of the longest migrations of any freshwater fish, traveling as juveniles about 5,000 kilometers from the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes to the Amazon delta in Brazil, only to turn back and swim upriver to the headwaters of the Amazon where they reproduce. Their life cycles and survival depend on intact river corridors, which in turn require coordinated environmental governance across countries. Initiatives like the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) show how regional partnerships—rooted in transparent and inclusive governance—can support biodiversity protection for species that move across vast landscapes.
Challenges in Transboundary Conservation
Despite the obvious and proven advantages of democratic cooperation, transboundary biodiversity conservation faces several challenges. Differences in political systems, economic priorities, and environmental regulations can hinder coordination and this can seriously undermine the potential for regional success. In some cases, neighboring countries may have strained diplomatic relations, reducing the willingness to share data or align conservation goals. Moreover, marginalized communities often bear the brunt of conservation failures and are excluded from decision-making processes. It is usually these less privileged human groups that are most often and severely affected by environmental degradation.
Infrastructure projects such as highways, dams, and border walls have also emerged as significant threats to transboundary biodiversity. Even when countries share a common interest in biodiversity conservation, they may have conflicting national priorities. Economic development, resource extraction, and border security concerns can sometimes take precedence over environmental considerations. Finding a balance between these competing interests requires careful negotiation, compromise, and a willingness to prioritize long-term sustainability.
Human migration across borders, both legal and illegal, and limited access to precious resources, such as water in drylands, pose conflicts in which biodiversity is the collateral victim. This, in turn affects entire societies. Dams to control water flow from one country to another for economic gain create or increase international tensions between neighboring countries. Building walls to prevent the influx of human migrants isolates populations and prevents movements upon which the safety and future of many species depend. For instance, the expansion of the U.S.-Mexico border wall has fragmented critical migration routes for species such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana), and desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). By isolating populations, these barriers reduce genetic diversity and disrupt ecological processes, exacerbating the very conservation challenges that regional cooperation seeks to overcome.
Opportunities for Democratic Conservation Diplomacy
To overcome these obstacles, countries must invest in “democratic conservation diplomacy” — the use of transparent, inclusive, and accountable diplomatic channels to negotiate conservation agreements. Mechanisms such as transboundary protected areas, joint monitoring protocols, and shared environmental impact assessments can serve as platforms for cooperation. Democracy facilitates these processes by enabling open dialogue, access to information, and civic engagement.
Conservation diplomacy can also benefit from joint biodiversity inventories and species recovery plans. For example, coordinated efforts to monitor and protect migratory bats, such as the tequila bat Leptonycteris yerbabuenae, led to the recovery of this species and its delisting in both Mexico and the United States after 25 years of concerted conservation actions. Delisting a migratory species by the countries that originally listed them is a very important step that must not be overlooked and should be announced broadly. Such collaboration builds trust and strengthens democratic ties through shared scientific goals.
The Role of Civil Society and Indigenous Communities
Civil society organizations and Indigenous peoples are indispensable allies in democratic conservation. Their knowledge, advocacy, and monitoring capabilities strengthen ecological governance. Cross-border Indigenous alliances, such as those among the Maya in Mexico and Guatemala, and the Tohono O’odham in Mexico and the U.S., have advanced conservation objectives while asserting cultural rights. Ensuring that these actors have meaningful roles in governance frameworks is critical to both democratic integrity and ecological success.
In addition, community-based monitoring of migratory species—such as bird counts and acoustic surveys conducted by Indigenous and local groups—has emerged as a vital tool for both conservation and democratic empowerment. These efforts not only generate valuable data but also reinforce the stewardship roles of communities across borders. Programs like eBird and the Motus Wildlife Tracking System have expanded citizen science networks and fostered cross-national collaboration on monitoring migratory species.
Climate Change, Migration, and Shared Futures
Climate change intensifies the need for democratic regional cooperation. As ecosystems shift and natural disasters become more frequent, migration of both species and people increases. This dynamic creates new conservation pressures but also new opportunities for solidarity. Democratic institutions that uphold human rights and environmental justice can build adaptive strategies that benefit both biodiversity and vulnerable populations.
As climate-induced range shifts affect species distributions, international collaboration becomes essential for preserving habitat corridors and migratory pathways. Species such as the Arctic tern (Sterna paradisaea), which undertakes one of the longest migrations on Earth, may face increasing disruptions to its stopover sites due to sea-level rise and temperature shifts. Adaptive conservation planning rooted in democratic governance can ensure that policies remain flexible and responsive to emerging ecological realities.
A Call to Action
In my view, everyone has something to do to build a bright future involving international collaboration and mutual empowerment for the benefit of all:
- Strengthen regional environmental agreements with enforceable commitments and democratic oversight.
- Promote cross-border participation by civil society and Indigenous groups in conservation planning.
- Harmonize environmental standards and monitoring across borders.
- Invest in education, science, and media to support informed public engagement.
- Protect environmental defenders and journalists working on cross-border ecological issues.
- Enhance regional data sharing and collaborative research on migratory species and habitat connectivity.
- Support community-based conservation initiatives that integrate traditional knowledge into migratory species monitoring.
- Develop early-warning systems for migratory species declines that trigger coordinated policy responses.
- Strengthen trilateral and regional funding mechanisms to support habitat protection along migratory corridors.
Conclusion
We stand at a crossroads where all voices must be heard and integrated into a new model of international cooperation to guarantee the common benefits provided by biodiversity into the future. The example of migratory species provides an optimal model to foster this collaboration and to secure the mutual benefits of protecting them across boundaries. Biodiversity conservation and democracy are mutually reinforcing in the context of neighboring countries. Shared ecosystems call for shared responsibilities, and democratic governance provides the tools for collaboration, accountability, and resilience. By recognizing and acting on this connection, countries can secure not only their natural heritage but also their common future. The path forward lies in treating biodiversity as a regional public good and democracy as the means to steward it, together, as true friends.