Water appropriation and ecosystem stewardship in the Baja desert

• Authors: Alejandro de las Heras , Mario A. Rodriguez , Marina Islas-Espinoza
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The UNESCO San Francisco Rock Paintings polygon within El Vizcaino Biosphere Reserve in the Baja California Peninsula derives its moisture from the North American monsoon. There, ranchers have depended on the desert since the 18th century. More recently, the desert has depended on the environmental stewardship of the ranchers who have allayed mining exploitation and archaeological looting. Using a Rapid Assessment Procedure (RAP), climate data, and geographical information, sustainability was assessed and foreseeable risks identified, on behalf of the Reserve. The results showed that the costs of stewardship were in terms of water appropriation and livestock herbivory. The socio-ecological system also faced hydrological risks derived from runoff, high evaporation rates and climate change. Additional risks stemmed from the increasing global demand for minerals, including hydrocarbons, found in the Reserve. These external drivers could substantially alter the attitudes of the ranchers or the land tenure. Land abandonment might become possible as children and women seemed to out-migrate from the polygon. Solutions were identified based on the supply and demand for water and should enhance resilience via watershed management and in-ranch water appropriate technologies.

Keywords

EN

Baja Peninsula desert; water; stewardship; resilience; appropriate technologies

• Publisher: Sciendo
• Journal: Change and Adaptation in Socio-Ecological Systems
• Year: 2014
• Volume: 1
• Issue: 1

Dates

received

2014-01-08

accepted

2014-07-13

online

2014-12-12

Contributors

author

Alejandro de las Heras

• Independent researcher

author

Mario A. Rodriguez

• Independent consultant, Former director of El
  Vizcaino and Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserves

author

Marina Islas-Espinoza

• Inter-American
  Center for Water Resources, Engineering Department, Mexico State
  University, Toluca

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Identifiers

DOI

10.2478/cass-2014-0007