University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point/ Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo/ Estudios Rurales y Asesoría Campesina/ Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey
Country:
Mexico
Award Date:
2005
Award Amount:
$499,619.00
Cost Share:
$537,867.00
Other Partners:
Coca-Cola, Copa Resin Cooperative, CONAFOR
The collaborative effort between UWSP/ERA/ITESM/UACh recognizes the importance of maintaining healthy watersheds as a prerequisite for sustainable development. The project will address development needs in the areas of non-consumptive forest utilization through watershed management, agroforestry, and the valuation of ecosystem services in 10 small indigenous communities of the Río Grande watershed in the underprivileged Sierra Norte region of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. The partner institutions will provide master’s degree study and community training in two areas of capacity building for integrated watershed management: technical competence in geographic information systems (GIS), hydrology, soils, science, and water quality; and planning competence for strategy conceptualization, implementation, and adaptive management. The activities will also aim to provide environmental mitigation and environmental education training by providing practical field experiences on forest health, water quality, municipal pollution, flood control, habitat improvements, ecosystem services, communication, and watershed management planning. Partnership activities are intended to stimulate a decision-support process for on the ground community-based best management practices for healthy and protected watersheds in support of sustainable development in the Sierra Norte region.