The management of natural resource systems that span an international border is often
complicated by a lack of coordination and communication between the stakeholders who
are responsible for their stewardship. In some areas, stakeholders have taken a
collaborative approach to managing these transboundary resources. However, effective
transboundary collaboration can be difficult, as the presence of an international border
often intensifies the barriers to the development of a collaborative process.
This study highlights the experiences of eight collaborative efforts operating across either
the U.S.-Canada or U.S.-Mexico borders. The lessons distilled from these efforts are
intended to inform general transboundary practitioners, as well as those agencies and
organizations that are working to develop a transboundary effort in the Flathead River
Basin of Montana and British Columbia.