World Wildlife Fund

This magnificent desert landscape is threatened by population growth, poor water management, agricultural expansion, invasive species, illegal wildlife trade, and a lack of understanding about the desert’s ecological importance. Extraction of copper, gypsum, salt, lime and sand have degraded the region. 

One of the pools in the Cuatrocienigas wetlands
© WWF-Canon /Edward PARKER

An estimated 90 percent of the Rio Grande is regularly diverted for irrigation—in fact, in 2001 the river dried up for the first time in recent history, failing to reach the Gulf of Mexico. We are focused on five areas that present the best opportunities for changing the global markets that challenge the future of this special place.

Promoting best management practices in Big Bend
The Big Bend region of Texas and northern Mexico covers 2.5 million acres across six protected areas, encompassing a wide array of the desert’s unique biodiversity. However, each protected area is managed by a different government entity, and there is no organized approach to managing conservation across these areas. We are working to foster collaboration on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border to implement an integrated conservation management plan. 

Restoring freshwater ecosystems
The Rio Grande river basin is severely impacted by dams and other infrastructure projects that divert water resources. Its health is further threatened by urban wastewater, agricultural runoff and invasive species. We are working in the U.S. and Mexico, engaging communities to create an integratedriver basin management framework, improving policies for river management and market mechanisms that account for benefits from natural resources. 

Conserving grasslands and wetlands
Agricultural conversion of grasslands—which increases irrigation demand—has altered the ecological integrity of the Chihuahuan Desert We are working to change the legal framework in Mexico to create a system of economic incentives for sustainable management of grasslands and minimize environmental impacts of water concessions.

Halting illegal wildlife trade
Poaching and unsustainable harvesting present serious threats to the region’s rare plants and reptiles. We are working to educate communities and strengthen law enforcement capacity through training and development of more stringent wildlife trade regulations. 

Protecting large predators
Mexican gray wolves, jaguars and black bears are on the brink of extinction in the Chihuahuan Desert due to past eradication efforts, and their recovery is severely threatened by habitat fragmentation. U.S. and Mexican governments are developing national conservation strategies for these species. We are focused on increasing public awareness of the need for wildlife protection and also raising funds to conserve large, intact tracts of desert habitat.