To understand the ecological restoration value of Los Planes watershed, Baja California Sur, we carried out a biodiversity study with the San Diego Natural History Museum. The results will provide insight into the ecosystem’s resilience to water management, erosion and overgrazing.

A thorough understanding of the impacts to an ecosystem is the first step in addressing it. Seeing that the Los Planes watershed, Baja California Sur, was at risk, we began research to find out how much this important desert ecosystem in Baja California Sur has been affected. This natural area is located south of the city of La Paz, in an area of lowland forest with hillsides and cliffs, not far from the coast of the Gulf of California. We are collaborating with the San Diego Natural History Museum to conduct biological surveys that allowed us to gather information on various aspects of biodiversity and hydrology.

“Pronatura Noroeste is conducting research to understand how biodiversity recovers,” says Sula Vanderplank, a Pronatura Noroeste researcher, who is familiar with the resilience of the ecosystem and its restoration. “Specifically, we compare areas that are one, two or even twelve years old with protective fencing, water harvesting infrastructure and erosion control, with others that are still degrading. It’s very interesting to understand how quickly certain species recover and gives us an idea of what the region was like beforehand.”