Introducing the Borderlands Habitat Restoration Initiative

The Sky Island region of southwestern USA and northwestern Mexico has been identified as a globally important yet threatened biodiversity “hotspot” by several leading conservation organizations. Riparian areas and wetlands in this arid region play a disproportionate role in sustaining biological diversity, yet, it is estimated that over 90% of the historical wetlands and riparian areas have been lost due to habitat destruction and changing land uses. The Sonoita Creek Watershed is one of the best remaining examples of an intact riparian area in Arizona but even here stream flow is greatly diminished and many native plants and animals have disappeared or declined to a fraction of their former abundance. Native wetlands, or cienegas, were once a common feature of the Sonoita Creek floodplain, but are now so reduced in extant that they are considered the most endangered natural ecosystem in Arizona.

The Borderlands Habitat Restoration Initiative is a grassroots effort to maintain and enhance biodiversity in the Sky Island borderlands by first restoring physical processes, like stream flow, and then focusing on native plants and their pollinators that form the base of  the “food chain” on which all other species depend. Though often overlooked, pollination is critical for producing viable seeds and fruit which then become a food resource for many animal species. Over sixty per cent of the native plant species of the Sonoita Creek watershed require animal pollinators and an even larger percentage benefit from animal visitation. Pollinators include many species of bees, butterflies, moths, and other insects, as well as vertebrate species such as hummingbirds, and some bats. The Sky Island region is an area of exceptionally diverse pollinators, with more known pollinator species than any other location in the USA. Yet pollinator numbers appear to be declining here as they are in many habitats worldwide. A number of studies have shown that pollinator diversity and plant diversity go hand in hand. These studies also provide evidence of recent declines in both wild and domesticated pollinators and parallel declines in the plants that they rely on and that rely upon them. Many other animals in addition to pollinators themselves depend on the food supplied by seeds and fruit produced as a result of pollination. Accordingly, focusing on restoring and enhancing the pollinator community may be one of the best strategies for maintaining and enhancing the biological diversity in the Sky Island region.

In addition to their importance in natural ecosystems, pollinators are important to the people of the Sonoita Creek watershed, not just as a source of beauty and wonderment, but because of the pollination services they provide for our gardens and crops. In turn, our actions are important to maintaining the abundance and diversity of hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators in the region. In addition to being an area of high diversity for bees, southeastern Arizona supports the highest diversity of hummingbirds in the USA and Canada. The Sonoita Creek drainage is part of an important southbound migration route as well as important nesting habitat. Hummingbirds and other pollinators also help draw birdwatchers and other naturalists to our community thereby supporting the local economy.

The Borderlands Habitat Restoration Initiative is a community-oriented effort, initiated and led by local citizens and local organizations. The Hummingbird Monitoring Network works to monitor and conserve hummingbirds throughout North America but was started and is headquartered in Patagonia, Arizona. Cuenca los Ojos is a privately owned and funded foundation headquartered in the Chiricahua Mountains and working to restore and conserve ranchlands and wildlife in southeastern Arizona and northeastern Sonora. The Friends of Sonoita Creek is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of Sonoita Creek and its watershed. Funding for the initiative is provided by the Biophilia Foundation, a privately financed philanthropic foundation that promotes wildlife conservation.

The project in Sonoita Creek is in the very early planning stage. Initial discussion has led to the idea of propagating native nectar and fruit producing plants, establishing demonstration hummingbird gardens, and providing plants for both backyard pollinator gardens and re-establishing viable native plant populations in natural areas along Sonoita Creek. Ultimately, a successful project in our watershed will not only help to restore nature, but also help to restore an understanding that people and nature are not separate, but are all part of the same local ecosystems.