The School of Sustainability (SOS) at the Arizona State University (ASU) and the Institute of Ecology at the Institute of Ecology at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) are developing a sustainable academic program to create competency and expertise for policy and planning in the area of biodiversity conservation and climate change. ASU and UNAM will establish a formal training program at UNAM, a summer school that will provide students with hands-on experience in conservation planning under the threat of climate change, and provide scholarships to five Mexican students to participate in ASU's graduate SOS program. An International Curriculum on Sustainability Science, Policymaking and Planning (ICSSP) created and instituted at UNAM will serve to train future leaders in conservation planning and sustainable development in Mexico while also forming the basis for future educational and research collaboration between ASU and UNAM.