Friday 22 February 2008

The desert and its rivers are critically at risk from human activity.

"This is one of the most biologically rich and diverse deserts in the world and the rivers that flow through this landscape are its very lifeblood," said Rob Shore, Freshwater Programmes Manager at WWF-UK.

The films No Country for Old Men and There Will be Blood, up for 16 nominations between them, were shot in and around Marfa, Texas and other locations within the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico.

Rivers and animals at risk
The flow of the Rio Grande, a crucial water source supporting a unique desert ecosystem, has diminished so much that in 2001 it failed to reach the sea for over five months.

Just over the border in Mexico, the Rio Conchos, a major tributary of the Rio Grande, is caught in a cycle of escalating water exploitation that could lead to the extinction of the critically endangered Conchos trout.

"At first glance it may not appear to be the case, but wherever these wild and pristine landscapes are to be found in the desert, there is a reliable source of water - not only rivers and streams, but also the vast underground stores of water, also known as aquifers, that these rivers replenish," explained Shore.

Running for 1,865 miles, the Rio Grande is the fifth longest river in North America. Fed by the Rio Conchos, it cuts through the Chihuahuan Desert, helping to support an exceptional web of wildlife including almost one-fifth of the world's cactus species, over 250 species of birds, and many fish and reptiles.

But this is gradually disappearing, and the wolves, deer, jaguars, and even grizzly bears that once inhabited the region have either been wiped out or are or clinging on in only a handful of locations.

Farming pressures
The vast openness of the region, prized by filmmakers, is being altered by economic land-use development for farming and an increase in demand for drinking water, all of which have led to high levels of water extraction.

These have had a significant impact on the river's sediment loads, channels and floodplains and forests. As a result of vast irrigation schemes, agriculture now takes up to 90% of the region's water. Virtually none is left for nature, particularly in drought years.

As a result of low water levels, the concentration of pollutants is so high that fish have died and the lower Rio Grande is suffering from salinization. In fact, some marine fish species are invading as far as 400 km upstream, and the increasing salinity of the river has already displaced 32 native freshwater fish species.

WWF working with communities and governments
WWF is working in partnership with the US and Mexican governments, local authorities, and farmers and communities throughout the river basin to restore and conserve the river habitats and water flow. Programmes are aimed at influencing key legislation that will ensure that water is valued and that good water management practices are rewarded.

"WWF is working to restore the flow of the rivers of the Chihuahuan Desert through unified management, habitat restoration to improve water quality and quantity, and helping to find a fair and equitable balance between the various users of water - from large scale farmers and city-dwellers, to remote indigenous communities and wildlife," Shore explained.