Prospects for Ecosystem Management in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, Canada–United States: Survey and Recommendations

I examined prospects for international ecosystem management in the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem ( COCE ), a transboundary region of the Rocky Mountains that straddles the border between Canada and the United States. From the spring of 2000 to the fall of 2001, I conducted 33 semi‐structured interviews with middle‐ and upper‐level public land and resource managers, administered a brief attitude survey to the interviewees, and analytically reviewed the management policies of and historical cooperative ventures between public land and resource jurisdictions in the region. Through a qualitative analysis of the data collected, I identified 10 challenges to enhancing transboundary cooperation in the COCE that were consistently present throughout the region. I describe and analyze these issues in terms of ( 1 ) determining common policy goals and management priorities, ( 2 ) developing information resources at the scale of the greater ecosystem, and ( 3 ) supporting a political and institutional atmosphere conducive to collaboration. Survey results suggest that international transboundary cooperation is less supported, in terms of higher management support, support from staff and colleagues, and access to sufficient information, than transboundary cooperation within a province or state. I conclude with recommendations for three concrete initiatives that public land management jurisdictions in the COCE can undertake to facilitate further ecosystem management opportunities: ( 1 ) formalizating transboundary cooperation, ( 2 ) developing a cumulative‐effects analysis of the COCE, and ( 3 ) thoughtfully presenting transboundary efforts within agencies and to the public.