Training and Dissemination of the Importance of Scientific Research for Sustainable Development of Controversially Protected Wildlife Areas

AMOUNT: $14,500 US

PROJECT LEADERS: Dean Hendrickson and Francisco J. García de León

INSTITUTIONS: University of Texas at Austin and Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Victoria

The town of Four Ciénagas (14,000 inhabitants) is located in the central part of Coahuila, in a desert valley that was declared a protected area by the Mexican government in 1994. It forms part of the basin of the Rio Grande and possesses thousands of springs and basins that shelter local fauna and flora that are currently in danger of extinction. The community recognizes that the fauna and flora of the valley are important scientifically and economically, as biological research and ecotourism have boomed recently. Much of the research efforts carried out by groups of Americans face language and cultural obstacles to explain the results of their findings to the local community. This project involved a great number of scientists and Mexican students in the studies and trained them in the latest methods of technology to prevent extinction. In addition, the project trained Mexican students in molecular genetics and created an electronic Web site to help disseminate the findings of the studies around the world.