The North American Committee on Cooperation for Wilderness and Protected Areas Conservation was established in November 2009 via a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by seven Leaders of North American government agencies at WILD9, the 9th World Wilderness Congress (WWC), in Mérida, State of Yucatán, Mexico. In 2011, the Heads of the participating agencies clarified that the intent of the MOU was to cover cooperation regarding all types of protected areas (including wilderness and non-wilderness areas) under the jurisdiction of these agencies.
