Water for Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihoods: Protecting Northernmost Tropical Deciduous Forest Relicts in Mexico

Abstract

In the last two decades there has been a growing interest at a global scale to bring water resources management more squarely within biodiversity conservation policy. This interest has given rise to a diverse array of global water institutions, such as the World Commission of Dams (2000), that have emphasized the urgency of balancing human demands for water with the needs of the environment. These concerns, moreover, have begun to deeply affect the domestic policies of many countries, making scholarly evaluation of policy outcomes of extremely critical importance. However, analyses of what, exactly, might constitute effective conservation strategies in providing water for the environment, especially in developing countries, are still quite limited. This study, based on a research in two local communities within the northernmost deciduous forest natural protected area in Sonora Mexico, “Sierra de Alamos Rio Cuchujaqui” (SARC), expands greatly upon the existing work by addressing the challenges faced by developing countries seeking to protect their natural areas to maintain biodiversity and healthy watersheds, while sustaining economic livelihoods of local communities that are necessary for conservation goals in such a sensitive environment. Thus, this study aims to answer the following specific questions: What have been the role and strategies of the Mexican National Commission for Natural Protected Area (CONANP) to supply water for environmental conservation?; How do the practices of local livelihoods relate to the use of water for environmental conservation?; And how, and to what extent, have the conservation goals benefited the livelihoods of local communities? Field and remote sensing research demonstrates that land cover in local communities is being degraded due to overgrazing and agricultural practices by local villagers. Economic development projects proposed by CONANP, such as a gila monster farm, ecotourism, and a nursery garden have not been successful. Despite their questionable economic success, these projects have been used to persuade people to introduce conservation programs using key natural resources, such as water. This is the case of the retenidas, which are check dams located in the streams that descend from the summit of the mountains and have the double purpose of preventing soil erosion and providing water for the surrounding environment.