The early 21st century is increasingly characterized by global-scale anthropogenic environmental changes that require coordinated regional to global-scale responses. These challenges are paralleled by exponential growth in our ability to collect and analyze data about those changes. In response, the ecological science and environmental policy communities are developing a wide range of international collaborative efforts to translate data into knowledge and into effective policy responses. Recent programs such as the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), Future Earth, and the UN Environment Programme’s Global Environment Outlook (GEO) reports can trace their origins to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, Diversitas, the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, and others. Further, independent researchers are developing international collaborations on their own, facilitated by increases in the availability and power of computer-based data and knowledge sharing platforms. Although many of these programs have overlapping leadership and contributors, the science and policy communities have made few if any efforts to bring them together and identify common keys to success, as well as needs for different approaches to address different environmental problems across regions and scales. This symposium will bring together leaders of past and present international collaborations in ecology and environmental policy, both formal programs and independent efforts, to explore their history, discuss future plans, and look for common challenges and elements of success. The result will be increased understanding of what factors contribute to or reduce effective international collaboration, enhancing the likelihood of success of such efforts in the future.