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 Oasis in the Desert: Conserving Water
Cuatro Ciénegas Valley, Mexico
“This project has helped us a lot, because it is a huge improvement to have something to eat just outside our door. Before we had to travel 20 miles for a couple pounds of tomatoes… which could be complicated due to our economic situation. Now, we have the luxury of bartering with what we grow in our family gardens, and with the irrigation system, we hardly use any water.”
Noé García, Family Garden Owner, Ejido Antiguos Mineros del Norte, Cuatro Ciénegas Valley, Mexico
Deep in the heart of the Chihuahuan Desert in northeast Mexico lies the 200,000-acre Cuatro Ciénegas Valley. This striking landscape is characterized by hundreds of azure freshwater springs, desert gardens and white gypsum dunes surrounded by mountains rising to 10,000 feet. Beyond its almost surreal beauty, Cuatro Ciénegas is home to at least 77 species of plant and animal found nowhere else on Earth. For example, hundreds of freshwater springs are home to unique species like the Cuatro Ciénegas pupfish and cichlid, as well as living stromatolites—reef-like formations made by microbes that are among the earths oldest life forms.
The valley is one of only two desert-spring ecosystems remaining in North America and is increasingly threatened by unsustainable agricultural practices, including overgrazing, the over-exploitation of ground and surface water, and invasive species. The key to protecting biodiversity in the isolated pools is understanding the hydrology of the valley – where water comes from, who owns it, and very importantly, how it is used. When PiP began its work in Cuatro Cienegas, 100% of the water rights of the valley were owned, and canals drained water out of the pozas at the maximum possible volume. This lowers the level of the pozas, upsetting their ecology and endangering the species they contain.
PiP supported TNC and Pronatura Noreste (PNE) in an evaluation and prioritization of the spring-fed system and began an investigation of private lands conservation mechanisms. PNE had already purchased (with TNC support) Rancho Pozas Azules (Ranch of the Blue Pools), a 7,000-acre ranch harboring more than 130 of the valley's 450 desert springs, which PiP has helped PNE manage as a nature preserve and center for extension activities for surrounding properties.
Originally, the rights to water originating in Rancho Pozas Azules Reserve had been granted to Ejido Antiguos Mineros del Norte, the neighboring property. With PiP support, PNE negotiated with Antiguos Mineros to decrease water use, allowing levels of springs and pools to rise and thus restoring and maintaining wetlands and associated species. PiP closed the canals and replaced them with pipelines to avoid excess water loss, and other partners installed gravity-driven extraction systems and efficient drip irrigation systems. PiP brought in government agencies and universities, which assisted with training and support to help farmers market their products and other residents to run small businesses, along with other sources of livelihood such as semi-stabled goat herds and family vegetable gardens.
Thanks to the water enhancement project, Antiguos Mineros del Norte experienced a surplus of water, and in 2005 the ejido granted Pronatura Noreste rights to 80 gallons of water per second to use for restoration and conservation purposes. Water levels have risen one full meter in Rancho Pozas Azules Reserve, recovering natural patterns and flows. Streams are running once again, and ponds and wetlands that had disappeared have been brought back, increasing habitat for the emblematic and vulnerable Coahuilan box turtle (Terrapene Coahuila). Migratory birds such as the gray crane have returned. Water enhancement projects in other communities may supply an additional 105 gallons of water per second for further restoration. Building on this success, in 2007 PiP supported a conservation easement on another priority property – 11,000 acre Ejido El Venado, where TNC and PNE will expand this work. |
