PARENT SESSION
Symposium #8: Linking the Leopold Legacy and Ecological Restoration in the Southwestern U.S. and Northwestern Mexico.
Organized by: W Forbes, C Meine, and C Curtin
Monday, August 5. 1:00 PM to 3:45 PM. Maricopa Meeting Room, TCC.
A collaborative, bi-national effort to restore the Colorado River delta.
Briggs, Mark*,1, Valdes Casillas, Carlos2, Glenn, Edward3, 1 Restoration Ecologist, Tucson, Arizona2 Commission for Environmental Cooperation, Montreal, Quebec, Canada3 University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
ABSTRACT- The greatest desert river delta in the Western Hemisphere, the Colorado River Delta has been severely altered by 65 years of vigorous water management. The delta's wetland, coastal, and riparian ecosystems have shrunk to 10% of their original size and the ecological dysfunction that currently dominates this landscape has also brutally disrupted the livelihoods of the delta's human communities. Despite these dramatic changes, the delta remains worthy of conservation. Recent flood flows have allowed significant pockets of native riparian plant communities to re-establish, providing an indication that modest flows of freshwater and appropriately managed brackish water can significantly aid ecologic and social recovery. The key to protecting and restoring native delta ecosystems lies in building a new vision of river management, conservation and water use that integrates capable local organizations, cross-border collaboration, and strong science. Over the last four years, the Sonoran Institute, Pronatura-Sonora, Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), the University of Arizona, and other partner organizations have embarked on a long-term effort to restore and protect significant parts of the delta ecosystem. Four key elements form the center piece of this collaborative, bi-national effort: 1) advance policy analysis and reform to secure and deliver interim water to delta ecosystems from a variety of sources, including transfers from marginal agricultural sites in Mexico and the U.S.; 2) conduct natural resource investigations that focus on improving our understanding of current ecological conditions, how conditions have changed, and the reasons for these changes; 3) build local organizational capacity that enhances the participation of communities in both local and regional conservation efforts; and 4) implement community-based wetland and riparian restoration projects to re-establish native plant communities in degraded areas in a manner that improves both local economies and ecological conditions.
KEY WORDS: Colorado, Delta, Restoration, Mexico