Ecoregional Conservation Assessment of the Chihuahuan Desert

 Pronatura Noreste, The Nature Conservancy, and World Wildlife Fund

The Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion has been subject to livestock grazing for hundreds of years given its lengthy civilized history. This assessment by Pronatura Noreste in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, and the World Wildlife Fund is an extensive report on the “most robust dataset possible on the state of conservation projects throughout the Desert.

As the Chihuahuan Desert Ecoregion stretches from New Mexico and Texas to southern Mexico, the conservation planning effort outlined in the report was an international partnership and a “mammoth” undertaking in terms of data-gathering, compilation, and other research.

A cornerstone of the plan is its focus on land management projects in identified priority conservation areas: collectively, a “portfolio.” The report states that if these projects are successful, they will ensure the long-term prosperity of the entire ecoregion. This land portfolio consists of roughly 30% of the Chihuahuan Desert ecosystem. As most of the land in these priority areas is in control of private landowners, conservation efforts will necessitate an array of strategies and partnerships. 

Read the Full Report: https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationPlanning/SettingPriorities/EcoregionalReports/Documents/Chihuahuan%20Desert%20Report.pdf

Read the Executive Summary: https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationPlanning/SettingPriorities/EcoregionalReports/Documents/Chihuahuan%20Desert%20Report.pdf#page=9

See a similar action plan published by the Chihuahuan state government in Spanish: https://birdconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Grasslands-Chihuahua-2011-FINALweb2may.pdf