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The San Pedro River Basin is a small but important basin that
flows north from Sonora, Mexico, into Arizona. The river is perhaps
the last virtually perennial stream crossing the international border,
and its riparian strip serves as a flyway for migrating birds. For
these reasons, the Basin has been the subject of numerous hydrological,
ecological, and other scientific studies; and the focus of intense
attention of environmental and community-based groups.
The Basin is split geographically between the U.S. and Mexico, and is split politically between U.S. and Mexican policy and interests. However, work that has already taken place in the Basin suggests that, for the most part, informal binational communication and cooperation between local agencies and NGOs can be very successful. In accordance with this belief, two groups in the Basin, the Upper San Pedro Partnership ("Partnership")
in Arizona and the Asociación Regional Ambiental de Sonora-Arizona (Sonora-Arizona
Regional Environmental Association, or ARASA) in Mexico, have been working to combine their efforts and coordinate them with other stakeholders in the Basin.
This
opportunity for dialogue comes at a critical time when the Partnership
is formulating its water conservation and management plan. At the same time, the Sonoran towns
of Naco and Cananea face decaying water infrastructure and delivery
problems, as well as the challenge of maintaining or building adequate
sanitation facilities. Both Arizona and Sonora are experiencing
severe drought, which impedes the capacity of farmers and ranchers
to maintain their traditional lifestyle. Population growth, particularly
on the U.S. side, constrains the ability of water managers to construct
a water budget adequate to support both present and future populations.
The San Pedro River Basin Binational Alliance hopes to solve these problems by establishing a holistic, ecosystem-based approach to natural resources conservation and environmental planning. By providing a broad context for coordinated watershed conservation efforts as well as a valuable conservation-planning tool, the Alliance hopes to empower local organizations to direct their limited resources more efficiently into the most urgently needed projects and solutions.
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