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Janos Valley Grasslands

 

Prairie Dog
prairie dog nibbling grass
© Rurik List/UNAM
 

Why the Conservancy selected this site
The grasslands of the Chihuahuan Desert are the least protected habitat in the region and the most endangered.  Some of the ecoregion’s most significant remnants of desert grassland habitat exist in the Janos Valley, located 120 miles southwest of Juarez in the Mexican state of Chihuahua.  The Janos grasslands are crucially important habitat for a number of species, including the black-tailed prairie dogs and the 222 species of birds that use this region for breeding, migration and wintering habitat.

 

Threats
The most signicant conservation threats to Janos are overgrazing and land conversion to agriculture. Much of the area has been impacted heavily by overgrazing, causing shrubs like mesquite, Mormon tea and tree cholla to invade surrounding grasslands.  Additionally, agricultural farms are replacing native grasslands and the increased extraction of surface and ground water for irrigation is impacting wildlife that depends on these water sources. The electrocution of raptors due to the introduction of power lines in Janos and the intentional poisoning of prairie dogs are also factors affecting the wildlife of the region.

 

Our Conservation Strategy
The Nature Conservancy is working with several Mexican partner institutions to develop and implement a protection strategy for Janos. One strategy is to work with the Mexican government and local officials to establish a protected area over much of the intact grassland.  Another key strategy is to identify and acquire key tracts of land and manage them as nature preserves.  Other key  strategies in Janos include: community-based conservation education and landowner outreach; conservation planning; coalition building; partner capacity building; acquisition of grazing rights; and grass-banking.

 

What the Conservancy is Doing
The Nature Conservancy and its Mexican partner Pronatura Noreste recently completed the purchase of a 46,000-acre cattle ranch in Mexico’s northern Janos Valley. This area, profiled in the article below, is one of North America’s last remaining desert grasslands and home to a variety of rare animals including the world’s largest complex of black-tailed prairie dog colonies.