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| Division of Bird Habitat Conservation | |
A total of $2.6 million in funding was approved for the following 13 projects on March 2007. Project partners are contributing $3.9 million in matching funds to affect 192,306 acres of habitat. These projects are considered part of the Fiscal Year 2007 grants cycle. Project Summary Table.
| BAJA CALIFORNIA, SINALOA, SONORA | |
| Project: The 2008-2009 Veracruz Model: An Innovative Approach of Training, Stewardship, and Capacity Building for Wetland Conservation in Mexico. Location: Ensenada, State of Baja California; Colorado River Delta, State of Sonora; and Mazatlán, State of Sinaloa. Grantee: Arizona Game and Fish Department. Contact: Francisco Abarca, (602) 789-3580, fabarca@azgfd.gov. Partners: National and international wetland-conservation instructors, and numerous local community organizations. Funding Approved: March 2007. Grant: $145,000. Matching Funds: $156,008. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: 1, 2, and 16. BCR: 32, 33, and 43. AICA: 103, 106, and 147. Flyway: Pacific. Ecoregion: |
Since its successful pilot in1998 in the State of Veracruz, this innovative, wetland-conservation training workshop has been replicated in six states throughout the country. The goals of the 2-week workshop are to conduct a training course on the identification, conservation, and management of wetlands for 40 Mexican natural resource managers and students; launch a "Wetlands Celebration Month" campaign in the workshop’s host city to raise public awareness about the importance of local wetlands, migratory waterfowl, and other birds and wildlife; and build or strengthen the capacity of local groups involved in managing wetlands and associated habitats. In the 2008 phase of this project, partners will carry out the 2-week program in Ensenada, Baja California, and will focus on the Colorado River Delta. The delta spans the States of Baja California and Sonora, and serves as an important resting and refueling area for migratory birds, including many endangered species. In 2009, partners will conduct the program in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, where more than 1.3 million hectares (3.3 million acres) of wetlands provide essential habitat for at least 50 percent of the Pacific Flyway’s migratory birds. |
| BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR | |
| Project: Conservation of Brant in San Ignacio Lagoon, Mexico. Location: State of Baja California Sur. Grantee: Pronatura Noroeste, A.C. Contact: Gustavo Danemann, [011] (52) (646) 175-3461, gdanemann@pronatura-noroeste.org. Partners: Autonomous University of Baja California Sur, El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, and National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT). Approved: March 2007. Grant: $247,296. Matching Funds: $275,506. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: 24. BCR: 40. AICA: 95. Flyway: Pacific. Ecoregion: |
Bahía The 107,626-hectare (265,950-acre) Laguna San Ignacio is one of the most important areas on the Baja California Peninsula’s west coast for migratory waterfowl, especially Pacific brant (or black brant). Nearly 25 percent of the brant that winter on the peninsula do so at this lagoon, which contains extensive eelgrass beds—an essential food source for this and other waterfowl species. Little is known, however, about the beds’ historic or current health and abundance, or about the immediate and long-term effects of human disturbances on them. Anthropogenic threats, many unregulated, include recreational and commercial fishing, tourism activities, and residential and tourism development. Although Laguna San Ignacio is part of the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, the reserve’s management plan does not specifically address the habitat needs of the waterfowl and other migratory birds that depend upon the lagoon. Therefore, partners will identify critical areas in and around the reserve for brant and other birds, and create management, protection, restoration, and monitoring plans for those areas. Partners also will launch a large-scale environmental education campaign, reaching school children, private tourism businesses, governmental agencies, and the general public. |
| Project: Implementation of Legal Conservation Mechanisms in Laguna San Ignacio, Phase II. Location: Municipality of Mulegé, State of Baja California Sur. Grantee: Pronatura Noroeste, A.C. Contact: Miguel Ángel Vargas Téllez, [011] (52) (646) 175-3461 extension 112, mvargas@pronatura-noroeste.org. Partners: International Community Foundation. Approved: March 2007. Grant: $407,538. Matching Funds: $1,230,369. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: 24. BCR: 40. AICA: 95. Flyway: Pacific. Ecoregion: |
Laguna San Ignacio, located on the western coast of the Baja California Peninsula, provides wintering habitat for thousands of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. Each year, nearly 25 percent of the peninsula’s wintering brant population is concentrated at this lagoon, which is part of the El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve and a designated Ramsar site. In this project’s second phase, partners will build upon their previous accomplishments in working with the local community to protect the lagoon’s natural resources for both wildlife and people. Fifteen permanent conservation easements on coastal parcels within the Ejido Luís Echeverría Álvarez will be established, ensuring long-term habitat protection and sustainable development on 2,700 hectares (6,669 acres) in the eastern and southeastern areas of Laguna San Ignacio. Protecting this land eliminates the otherwise ever-present threats of degradation and conversion to other uses. Partners’ efforts will also help to further develop the evolving legal structure and application of land-conservation mechanisms in Mexico. |
| CHIAPAS | |
| Project: Protection, Management, and Rehabilitation of La Joya-Buenavista and Manguito-Chocohuital Wetlands. Location: Municipalities of Tonala and Pijijiapan, State of Chiapas. Grantee: Pronatura Chiapas A.C. Contact: Claudia Macias Caballero, [011] (52) (967) 678-5000, cmacias@pronatura-chiapas.org. Partners: None. Approved: March 2007. Grant: $127,034. Matching Funds: $128,000. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: Associated with 8. BCR: 61. AICA: 168. Flyway: Central and Atlantic. Ecoregion: |
Through previous Act-funded projects, partners identified which wetlands in Chiapas were of greatest importance for migrating and wintering waterfowl and shorebirds. Now in this project, partners will focus on protecting and restoring a total of 34,634 hectares (85,536 acres) of habitat in two areas that are both national and international priorities—the La Joya-Buenavista wetland complex and the Manguito-Chocohuital wetland complex. Together, they comprise a diverse ecosystem containing eight lakes, two estuaries, two sandbars, and a wealth of mangroves and other types of wetland-associated habitats. The project area’s natural resources face many anthropogenic threats such as hydrologic-flow alteration, pollution, deforestation, and overfishing. Using legal mechanisms for land conservation in Mexico, partners will permanently protect 1,200 hectares (2,965 acres) of wetlands. Partners also will develop sustainable mangrove-harvesting practices and other alternatives for the local community, diminishing deforestation pressure on 13,317 hectares (32,908 acres) in the project area. By rehabilitating eight freshwater flows partially blocked by previous dredging activities, partners will restore natural hydrology and salinity to another 20,097 hectares (49,663 acres) in total. |
| DURANGO | |
| Project: Wetland Restoration and Public Outreach Program for the Conservation of the Malaga Wetlands. Location: Municipality of Durango, State of Durango. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited of Mexico, A.C. (DUMAC). Contact: Eduardo Carrera González, [011] (52) (818) 335-1212, ecarrera@dumac.org. Partners: National Water Commission, Ducks Unlimited, Inc., and Profauna. Approved: March 2007. Grant: $115,513. Matching Funds: $221,370. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: Associated with 3. BCR: 34. AICA: 75. Flyway: Central. Ecoregion: |
The Magala remnant freshwater wetland in Mexico’s Northern Highlands region is a distribution point for migratory birds flying into Laguna Santiaguillo and the Zacatecas and Chihuahua wetlands; when those water bodies are dry, Magala becomes a critical, alternate primary site. Whichever the case, the Magala wetland annually receives thousands of migrating and wintering geese, ducks, and shorebirds. It also provides important nesting habitat for two resident species, Mexican duck and black-bellied whistling-duck. Agricultural fields, livestock grazing lands, and human settlements surround the wetland, introducing runoff, wastewater, and sediment into a natural system that no longer has adequate hydrologic flows and vegetation to help filter it. Consequently, this invites invasive aquatic species and retains contaminants harmful to both wildlife and people. Project partners will clear sediment-choked waterways, reinforce discharge canals, and install water-control structures to restore natural hydrology to a total of 78.5 hectares (194 acres) and prevent wastewater from entering the wetland. Partners also will work with ranchers of Ejido Montes de Oca and local agencies to develop a land-management program that promotes more efficient ranching practices or alternatives, and optimizes available habitat. |
| GUANAJUATO, MICHOACAN | |
| Project: Participatory Planning for the Sustainable Management of Lake Cuitzeo, Phase II. Location: Municipality of Acambaro, State of Guanajuato; Municipalities of Cuitzeo, Santa Ana Maya, Zinapecuaro, Querendaro, Huandacareo, Chucandiro, Copandaro, Alvaro Obregon, State of Michoacán. Grantee: Mexican Network of Rural Forestry Organizations (Red MOCAF). Contact: Matías Edilberto Hernández San Román, [011] (52) (555) 662-8458, redmocaf@laneta.apc.org. Partners: Ecosytems Research Center (CIECO) and Michoacán State Fishing Commission (COMPESCA). Approved: March 2007. Grant: $91,654. Matching Funds: $91,684. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: 14. BCR: 47. AICA: 2. Flyway: Central. Ecoregion: |
Lake Cuitzeo, Mexico’s second-largest lake, sits at the border of two states, has a surface area of 44,000 hectares (108,720 acres), 11 islands, and one highway that divides it. Only one culvert allows for minimal exchange, leading to somewhat different conditions in each side. One common problem, however, is degradation. Urban, agricultural, and industrial wastes are polluting the lake’s water and soils, and surrounding habitat loss is causing erosion and increased sedimentation. In this second phase, project partners will build upon their previous accomplishments in addressing the lake’s plight with local communities, regional decision-makers, and other stakeholders whose actions greatly impact this resource. Lake Cuitzeo is one of Mexico’s most important migration and wintering sites for Central Flyway birds; therefore, partners will continue to train local community members in bird identification, census, and monitoring, and will explore creating a Management Unit (UMA) for waterfowl conservation. Partners also will develop conservation-oriented agricultural practices with area farmers, conduct far-reaching environmental education and clean-up campaigns, and form a regional committee to guide the lake’s conservation and sustainable use. A wetland created by partners near the lake will serve as a wastewater-treatment pilot project. |
| JALISCO | |
| Project: Development of a Conservation and Environmental Education Program for Sayula Lagoon. Location: Municipalities of Zacoalco de Torres, Teocuitatlan de Corona, Atoyac, Sayula, Amacueca, and Techaluta, State of Jalisco. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited of Mexico, A.C. (DUMAC). Contact: Eduardo Carrera González, [011] (52) (818) 335-1212, ecarrera@dumac.org. Partners: University of Guadalajara and Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Approved: March 2007. Grant: $130,184. Matching Funds: $151,875. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: Associated with 15. BCR: 47. AICA: 58. Flyway: Central. Ecoregion: |
The 16,800-hectare (41,513-acre) Sayula Lagoon, located in southern Jalisco, is one of the few freshwater wetland systems remaining in the Central Highlands region. As such, it is a vital resource for thousands of migrating and wintering waterfowl and shorebirds in Mexico, but is being degraded by untreated, wastewater runoff from adjacent towns and agricultural fields. After the lagoon was designated a Ramsar site, the State Government formed a Wetland Committee comprised of representatives from state and federal agencies, research institutions, and nongovernmental organizations to address the lagoon’s environmental problems and guide its conservation and sustainable use. One of their highest priorities is the development of a management plan that will better direct long-term conservation projects and public policies regarding the lagoon. To that end, project partners will assess the lagoon’s biological, physical, social, and production characteristics, and synthesize the information into a management plan. The information will also serve as the baseline justification towards decreeing this site a federal or state protected area. Partners also will develop and implement a far-reaching environmental education program and public workshops to instill stewardship-oriented attitudes and change environmentally destructive practices. |
| NATIONAL | |
| Project: Development of a Monitoring Protocol and a Systematized Survey System for the Conservation and Management of Shorebirds and their Habitats in Mexico. Location: Nationwide, within National Shorebird Conservation Plan regions. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited of Mexico, A.C. (DUMAC). Contact: Eduardo Carrera González, 011 (52) (818) 335-1212, ecarrera@dumac.org. Partners: Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Approved: March 2007. Grant: $50,433. Matching Funds: $50,457. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: nationwide. BCR: nationwide. AICA: nationwide. Flyway: nationwide. Ecoregion: nationwide. |
Mexico’s National Shorebird Conservation Plan identifies six operational regions around the country, each with a working group. Challenges that these working groups face include insufficient scientific information available about shorebirds, and the lack of standardized methods for even gathering and comparing data. The “National Program for the Conservation and Management of Shorebirds and their Habitats in Mexico,” part of a larger federal recovery program for priority species, has addressed the latter problem by listing the development of a national monitoring program as a top priority. To that end, project partners will conduct three regional workshops for shorebird conservationists who will develop monitoring protocols at the regional level, guidelines for integrating existing data into a national database, and the research requirements for regional conservation strategies. Workshop sites are: La Paz (Baja California Sur), Sayula Lagoon (Jalisco), and Ria Celestun (Yucatan). A national workshop will be held thereafter at Texcoco Lake (Mexico City), where partners will integrate regional workshop results to lay the foundation of the National Shorebird Monitoring Program. Partners also will identify key areas in which to establish long-term, systematized monitoring surveys. |
| SINALOA | |
| Project: Implementation of the Conservation and Management Plan for Huizache-Caimanero Lagoon, Phase II. Location: Municipalities of Mazatlán and El Rosario, State of Sinaloa. Grantee: Ducks Unlimited of Mexico, A.C. (DUMAC). Contact: Eduardo Carrera González, 011 (52) (818) 335-1212, ecarrera@dumac.org. Partners: University of Guadalajara and Ducks Unlimited, Inc. Approved: March 2007. Grant: $64,779. Matching Funds: $75,438. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: Associated with 6. BCR: 43. AICA: 147. Flyway: Pacific. Ecoregion: |
The 18,217-hectare (45,015-acre) Huizache-Caimanero Lagoon ecosystem shelters approximately 75,000 wintering waterfowl and more than 100,000 shorebirds, and provides important nesting habitat for the black-bellied whistling-duck, a resident species. The coastal lagoon system and its mangroves also produce 80 percent of the commercial shrimp species harvested in the region. Urban and agricultural development and expansion, construction of marinas and tourism infrastructure, and upstream dams threaten the health and productivity of the lagoon system. Partners will build upon their previous accomplishments in conserving the Huizache-Caimanero Lagoon by monitoring shorebird composition, abundance, distribution, and timing at the lagoon, and identifying which areas are most important for meeting their needs. Workshops will be held to develop and implement agricultural practices that require less habitat alteration and agrochemical use. Partners will also develop and conduct an environmental education and outreach program in the communities around the lagoon, including 12 elementary schools, and train teachers to continue the program. |
| SINALOA AND SONORA | |
| Project: Conservation of Wintering Areas for Migratory Waterfowl and Shorebirds in Sonora and Sinaloa. Location: Municipality of Ahome, State of Sinaloa; Municipality of Huatabampo, State of Sonora. Grantee: Pronatura Noroeste, A.C. Contact: Carlos Valdés-Casillas, [011] (52) (653) 535-6738, cvaldes05@yahoo.com. Partners: University of Sonora’s Department of Scientific and Technologic Research (DICTUS), Center for Alimentation and Development Research (CIAD), Black Mangrove Ecological Foundation, CAN, Friends of the Sonoran Desert, Industrial Yavaros, Gabino’s, Municipality of Huatabampo, and Municipality of Ahome. Approved: March 2007. Grant: $206,000. Matching Funds: $206,000. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: BCR: 33. AICA: 130 and 131. Flyway: Pacific. Ecoregion: |
The wetland systems of Yavaros-Moroncarit and Agiabampo span two states and include a total of 48,000 hectares (118,560 acres) of estuaries, mud flats, beaches, emergent marshes, and mangroves. More than 75,000 ducks and geese representing 28 different species winter within this ecosystem, as do 70,000 shorebirds of 35 different species. Tens of thousands more waterfowl and shorebirds rest and refuel here during migration. The natural area is increasingly threatened by residential and tourism development; conversion of habitat to other uses, such as aquaculture; and coastal highway construction. Given that the Federal Government is delegating more responsibility for natural resources management to municipalities, project partners will focus on strengthening the capacity of local governments and organizations to conserve the Yavaros-Moroncarit-Agiabampo ecosystem for the long term. Through a participatory process with stakeholders, partners will develop legal mechanisms and strategies for protecting wetland habitats on private and ejidal lands in the region. Partners also will identify the highest-priority areas to protect given baseline biological data they are collecting. Environmental education and outreach will also be carried out in local communities to foster public stewardship of the ecosystem. |
| TAMAULIPAS | |
| Project: Protection of Sea Grasses for the Conservation of Waterfowl at Laguna Madre. Location: Municipalities of Matamoros and San Fernando, State of Tamaulipas. Grantee: Pronatura Noreste, A.C. Contact: Alfonso Banda Valdez, [011] (52) (868) 819-4933, abanda@pronaturane.org. Partners: Center of Engineering Research (CII) and several local groups. Approved: March 2007. Grant: $172,860. Matching Funds: $174,760. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: 4. BCR: 37. AICA: 67. Flyway: Central. Ecoregion: |
The vast Laguna Madre wetland ecosystem provides an array of habitats for some 520 species of wildlife—nearly half of which are birds. The lagoon’s abundant sea grass beds, or “marine grasslands,” are a critical source of food for waterfowl. Engine propellers on hunting and fishing boats chop or uproot the sea grasses, and the dredging of channels increases water turbidity and alters salinity levels. Propellers and dredging also stir sediment, which reduces sunlight penetration and, in turn, impedes sea grass photosynthesis and growth. Partners will assess migratory waterfowl use and abundance within the project area, and identify which areas contain sea grass beds of greatest importance. Approximately 35,131 hectares (86,765 acres) will be designated as federal Conservation Management Units (UMAs) for the sustainable, low-impact use of resources. Partners will produce signage, booklets, and workshops to educate fisherman, students, and the public about the importance of sea grass beds, and ways to minimize human impacts on them. Partners will also conduct studies to better understand sea grass ecology. |
| Project: Restoration and Monitoring of Wetlands for Developing a Biological Corridor. Location: Municipalities of San Fernando and Soto la Marina, State of Tamaulipas. Grantee: Natural Spaces and Sustainable Development (ENDESU). Contact: Martha Caballero Espejo, [011] (52) (555) 513-5545, martha@endesu.org.mx. Partners: State Government of Tamaulipas. Approved: March 2007. Grant: $119,735. Matching Funds: $149,489. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: 4. BCR: 37. AICA: 67. Flyway: Central. Ecoregion: |
The Laguna Madre is a vast, nationally protected, coastal wetland ecosystem important to 260 species of migratory and resident birds. Social and economic development within and around the area has been relatively minimal for the last century, although dams, highways, and agricultural irrigation have emerged as more modern threats to the ecosystem. A comprehensive management plan for Laguna Madre has not yet been published, and the protected area’s needs are not yet being integrated into State and local governments’ policies. For instance, the State’s 5-year development plan includes construction of a coastal highway in the project area, from La Pesca to San Fernando, and large tourism developments at the Soto la Marina River Delta. Project partners will assess these projects in the context of protecting the Laguna Madre’s ecological integrity. Partners also will identify and prioritize those sites within the Laguna Madre that must be conserved and those that must be restored for the benefit of migratory birds. In so doing, partners aim to establish and safeguard a biological corridor of habitat for all wildlife within the Laguna Madre. |
| Project: Restoration of Wetlands and Land Acquisition for Conservation on the Rio Grande (Bravo) Delta. Location: Municipality of Matamoros, State of Tamaulipas. Grantee: Natural Spaces and Sustainable Development (ENDESU). Contact: Claudia Monroy, [011] (52) (555) 513-5545, cmonroy@endesu.org.mx. Partners: Jorge Cárdenas. Approved: March 2007. Grant: $732,710. Matching Funds: $1,077,971. Nonmatching Funds: None. Mexican Priority Wetland: Associated with 4. BCR: 37. AICA: 235. Flyway: Central. Ecoregion: |
The Rio Grande (or Bravo) Delta is adjacent to the internationally important Laguna Madre wetland ecosystem; therefore, conserving the delta’s freshwater wetlands is an important part of maintaining the health of Laguna Madre. Partners have recorded 161 bird species in the delta alone, 98 of which are migratory. Of the migratory species, 82 winter there. The delta is fed by El Tigre River, which contains wastewater and other pollutants from three surrounding cities. Several highways crisscross the delta, dividing it into sections. Project partners will be protecting and restoring a total of 13,584 acres in the southern section, which contains streams and lagoons, agricultural lands, and cattle ranches. In the Jasso and Saltillo Lagoons, partners will restore 713 hectares (1,762 acres) of wetland habitats. Partners will acquire and restore 559 hectares (1,380 acres) in the El Diablo Lagoons. Various conservation mechanisms will be implemented on approximately 10,000 acres of wetland, riparian, and upland habitats in the project area to safeguard a biological corridor for migratory birds. |
/birdhabitat/grants/NAWCA/Standard/Mexico/2007.shtm was last updated 09/19/08 12:58:22
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