ARS | Publication request: DEVELOPMENT OF ARID RANGELAND REMEDIATION APPROACHES: COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH

Submitted to: International Symposium and Workshop Combating Desertification Connecting S
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: April 2, 1997
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Local ranchers, environmental groups and government agencies have formed a partnership with USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range in the northern Chihuahuan Desert to develop remediation technologies for desertified arid lands. During the last 100 years much of this area has undergone a transition from relatively stable grasslands to increasingly desertified shrublands. Past remediation attempts in the Chihuahuan Desert have relied on energy-intensive heavy machinery and herbicides to overcome ecosystem processes. A core objective of the Jornada's current research program is to develop ecologically based remediation technologies that are accessible to people and small groups with limited access to capital. These technologies should also be scalable so they can be applied by large organizations and government agencies. To address this objective, the Jornada assembled a team representing public and private land managers, environmental organizations and the general public. These individuals contribute by serving on a research advisory committee and participating with members of the local community in managing and monitoring an area set aside to develop and test low-cost restoration technologies. Current projects are designed to use existing resources and promote natural restoration processes. Local permaculture practitioners plan to establish trigger sites using on-water harvesting while aquaculture is being examined as a method to better use stock tanks. Participants are working with other land managers to test these approaches at other locations. These people will eventually serve as a local network to disseminate successful technologies.