With its water levels dropping precipitously, the Colorado River Delta faces a bleak future. The survival of the Delta—and of the plants, animals and communities that live there—will depend on the ability of a nascent network of residents, water users, scientists, environmentalists, and U.S. and Mexican government officials to hammer out agreements despite their conflicting interests.
The Delta and its environs make a unique contribution to the region’s biodiversity. The Delta comprises the southern portions of California and Arizona, and northwestern Mexico. Today the Delta encompasses only 10% of its original area because of dwindling water flows. Even in the best-case scenario, the area’s water will become scarcer, if not fully depleted, in the near future.
Collaboration among residents on both sides of the border has been crucial for taking firm steps toward the conservation and restoration of the Delta. Although this area of the border is the last stronghold of the Western Hemisphere’s most altered river in terms of its dams and diversions, many people refuse to relinquish the wealth of its ecosystem. Future conservation will depend on collaboration and understanding among stakeholders in both countries who share the benefits of this natural wealth.
Don Onésimo González Sáinz, leader of the Cocopah tribe, states flatly: “This river already died.” The Cocopah—meaning “river people” in their native language—are now witnessing the extinction of the watercourse and of their traditional forms of subsistence. Having lived for thousands of years on the shores of the lower basin of the river and its delta, the Cocopah were the first victims of the dams and diversions inflicted on the Colorado River.
Some ten years ago, the people of the region took the first steps toward what now has become an organized effort to defend the Delta. Their actions began when residents of small communities located on the banks of the river met with researchers and activists from Mexican and U.S. organizations. These first meetings later led to written agreements between the governments.
One of the most substantial results is Minute 306, in which the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) recognizes the effect on the Delta’s ecology caused by the scarcity of water run-offs in the area. The IBWC formed a Binational Technical Task Force to examine the effects on the riparian environment.
In 1999, citizen mobilization created the Ecological Association of Users of the Hardy and Colorado Rivers (AEURHYC), made up of fishermen, campesinos, tourism service providers and Cocopah tribe members. AEURHYC hopes to close down sources of pollution of the water and wetlands, restore and conserve the river channel and promote regional development projects that meet environmental conservation criteria, among other objectives.
Coordinated work among conservation organizations, environmentalists and the users of the river has successfully consolidated local initiatives to conserve and restore the Delta. For example, with the support of the Sonoran Institute, AEURHYC has constructed retaining walls to help raise the water level in the area where local residents promote sport fishing or ecotourism.
If asked, any activist, scientist or user of the Colorado River Delta will say that the solution to the area’s problems could not be more obvious: more water is needed in this part of the river. Hope for the Delta, in the opinion of Francisco Zamora, head of the Colorado River Delta Project, depends on all stakeholders. Concrete actions and viable projects are needed to achieve a permanent flow of water to the Delta.
A Binational Workshop in which 35 scientists from both countries took part, has now identified certian priority areas for conservation.
Another multidisciplinary group of Mexican and U.S. scientists from different institutions is working on compiling data on both biological and socioeconomic issues to develop a master conservation plan for the entire region.
These are some of the actions that are changing the outlook for the Delta, at a critical juncture in which conservation efforts are more urgent than ever. As Don Onésimo, the Cocopah leader, rightly says, “Here, the only solution is for them to let the water flow down the river as it once did.”
About the Author:
César Angulo is a journalist based in Mexico City and a founding member of the Mexican Network of Environmental Journalists. A longer version of this article appeared on the Web site of the Americas Program at the Interhemispheric Resource Center (IRC).
