Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) Laboratoire d'étude des Transferts en Hydrologie et Environnement (LTHE), Grenoble, France. Dr. Christian Prat, Mail : christian.prat@ird.fr Web page: http://www.ird.fr
	Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-Centro de Investigación en Geografia Ambiental (UNAM-CIGA). Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. Dr. Manuel Mendoza Cantú, Mail : mmendoza@mail.ciga.unam.mx Web page: http://www.ciga.unam.mx
	Secretaria del medio Ambiente (SEMARNAT), Delegación Michoacán, Morelia, Michoacán. Mc. Eduardo Rios Patrón, Mail : eduardo.rios@semarnat.gob.mx Web page: http://www.semarnat.gob.mx/estados/michoacan
	Universidad Michoacana San Nicolas de Hidalgo (UMSNH), Instituto de Biología. Lab. Suelos, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. Dra. Maria Álcala de Jesus, Mail : tupuri12@hotmail.com Web page: http://bios.biologia.umich.mx
	Universidad Michoacana San Nicolas de Hidalgo (UMSNH), Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales. Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. Dr. Alejandro Martínez Palacios, Mail : apalacios56@gmail.com Web page: http://www.iiaf.umich.mx
	Colegio de Postgraduados (Colpos), Laboratorio de Fertilidad de Suelo, Montecillo, Mexico. Dr. Jorge Etchevers Barra, Mail : jetchev@colpos.mx Web page: http://www.colpos.mx
	Universidad Nacional Autómona de México, Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas (UNAM-CIEco), Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. Dra. Patricia Ávila García, Mail : pavila@oikos.unam.mx Web page: http://www.oikos.unam.mx

LEADERS

Name	Contact details	Key qualifications	Photo
Dr. Christian Prat	Tel: +33 (0)4 76 63 56 89 christian.prat@ird.fr IRD-LTHE (Laboratoire d’étude des Transferts en Hydrologie et Environnement), Grenoble, France www.ird.fr	Soil scientist specialist of volcanic soils; soil mapping; agronomy; soil erosion (plot to watershed); soil aggregation and role of carbon; tropical systems; teledetection, GIS, social studies; webmaster. Coordinator of the DESIRE Cointzio study site
Dr. Manuel Mendoza Cantú	Tel +52 443 322 38 39 mmendoza@mail.ciga.unam.mx UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)- CIGA (Centro de Investigación en Geografía Ambiental) Morelia, Michoacán, México. www.ciga.unam.mx	Regional hydrology and climatology; RS and GIS applications for natural resources management; Watershed management and analysis Co-Coordinator of the DESIRE Cointzio study site
Lic. Eduardo Ríos Patrón	Tel +52 443 322 60 17 eduardo.rios@semarnat.gob.mx Secretaria del medio Ambiente (SEMARNAT), Delegación Michoacán, Unidad de Planeación y Política Ambiental Morelia, Michoacán. www.semarnat.gob.mx/estados/michoacan	Environmental planification. In charge of the Agave project funding.
Dr. Maria Alcalá de Jesus	Tel +52 443 322 35 00 ex 4222? tupuri12@hotmail.com UMSNH (Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo) – Instituto de Biología, Laboratorio de suelos www.umich.mx	Soil Scientist, Soil mapping and classification
Dr. Alejandro Martínez Palacios	Tel +52 443 334 04 75, Ext. 119 apalacios56@gmail.com UMSNH (Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo) – Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales www.iiaf.umich.mx	Vegetal physiologist ; Management and conservation of plant genetic resources Agave specialist
Dr. Jorge D. Etchevers Barra	Tel +52 595 9511475? jetchev@colpos.mx COLPOS-Instituto de Recursos Naturales -  Laboratorio de fertilidad de suelos Montecillo, Edomex, México www.colpos.mx	Soil scientist, applied soil chemistry, enviromental soil chemistry (C sequestration, nutrient cycling, soil fertility, soil contamination

INVOLVED PERSONNEL

IRD-LTHE	Laboratoire d’étude des Transferts en Hydrologie et Environnement
Dr. Michel Esteves	Tel: +33 (0)4 76 82 51 32 michel.esteves@ird.fr IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)-LTHE, Grenoble, France www.lthe.fr	Hydrologist; plot and catchment hydrology, physically based distributed soil erosion modeling, parameterization of process models for hydrological studies; application of GIS
Dr. Nicolas Gratiot	Tel: +33 (0)4 76 63 55 39 nicolas.gratiot@ird.fr IRD (institut de Recherche pour le Développement, France)-LTHE Grenoble, France www.lthe.fr	Sedimentologist; parameterization of process models for hydrological and sedimentological studies; Dynamic of sediments in the water (river, reservoir…) erosion and movement of sediments in rivers. Application of GIS
Dr. Celine Duwig	Tel: +33 (0)4 76 51 42 81 celine.duwig@ird.fr IRD (institut de Recherche pour le Développement)-LTHE Grenoble, France www.lthe.fr	Soil Scientist; Water dynamics  in the soil subsurface, fate of N and pesticides in volcanic soils, modeling of contaminants transfer in soils.
Dr. Julien Nemery	Tel: +33 (0)4 76 63 55 39 julien.nemery@hmg.inpg.fr INPG (Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble) -LTHE Grenoble, France www.lthe.fr	Hydrologist; Biochemistry of water nutrients; Suspended solid transfer; water metrology
Anne-Sophie Susperregui	anne-sophie.susperregui@bvra.ujf-grenoble.fr Université Joseph Fourier, Granoble, France www.lthe.ffr	Hydrologist; Biochemistry of water nutrients; Suspended solid transfer pH-D student
MC Clément Duvert	Tel +33 (0)4 76 63 55 39 clement.duvert@gmail.com IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)-LTHE, Grenoble, France www.lthe.fr	Regional hydrology; RS and GIS applications for natural resources management; Watershed management and analysis
MC Paola Bustos Burgos	Tel +33 (0)4 76 63 56 89 pcatherina@yahoo.com IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement)	Agronomist, Socio economist, participative actions with stakeholders Master au Rural developpment of the Universidad Autonma de Chapingo (UACh), Centro Regional Universitario Centro Occidente (CRUCO) Morelia, Michoacán.

UNAM-CIGA	Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México-Centro de Investigación en Geografía Ambiental
MC. Daniel Gónzalez	Tel +52 443 322 38 39 trilobite75@hotmail.com UNAM-CIGA Morelia, Michoacán, México. www.ciga.unam.mx	Regional approach; RS and GIS applications for natural resources management; Watershed management and analysis; Planification and policies. PhD Student
MC. Teodoro Carlón	Tel +52 443 322 38 39 teodoro_allende@yahoo.com.mx UNAM-CIGA Morelia, Michoacán, México. www.ciga.unam.mx	Regional hydrology and climatology; RS and GIS applications for natural resources management; Watershed management and analysis
MC. Rosaura Paéz Bistraín	Tel +52 443 322 38 39 rpaezb@ciga.unam.mx UNAM-CIGA, Lab. suelos y agua Morelia, Michoacán, México. www.ciga.unam.mx	Soil and water analysis
MC. Hilda Rivas Solórzano	Tel +52 443 322 38 39 hilda@ciga.unam.mx UNAM-CIGA, Lab. suelos y agua Morelia, Michoacán, México. www.ciga.unam.mx	Soil and water analysis

SEMARNAT Michoacan Delegation	Secretaria del Medio Ambiente
Lic. Jorge Arias Ramirez	Tel +52 443 322 60 17 jar221706@hotmail.com SEMARNAT, Delegación Michoacán, Unidad de Planeación y Política Ambiental Morelia, Michoacán. www.semarnat.gob.mx/estados/michoacan	GIS and environmental planification

UMSNH	Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo
Mc. Lenín Medina Orozco	Tel +52 443 322 35 00 ex 4222? leninmed@gmail.com UMSNH-Facultad de Biología-Laboratorio de suelos bios.biologia.umich.mx	Soil Scientist, Soil erosion and land degradation, Carbon
Mc. Juan Carlos González Córtes	Tel +52 443 322 35 00 ex 4222? jcgonzalezcortes@yahoo.com.mx UMSNH- Facultad de Biología-Laboratorio de suelos bios.biologia.umich.mx	Soil Scientist, Soil mapping and classification
Mc. Arcelia Cabrera	Tel +52 443 110 83 64? acabrera_andos@yahoo.com.mx UMSNH- Facultad de Biología-Laboratorio de suelos bios.biologia.umich.mx	Biologist, Soil Scientist, Landscape management
Mc. Adriana Ramos	Tel +52 443 322 35 00 ex 4222? chinadri@yahoo.com.mx UMSNH- Facultad de Biología-Laboratorio de suelos bios.biologia.umich.mx	Soil Scientist, Soil mapping and land degradation. Master student
Mc. Reyna Alvarado	Tel +52 443 322 35 00 ex 4222? al-vire@hotmail.com UMSNH-Facultad de Biología-Laboratorio de Biología Acuática bios.biologia.umich.mx	Management and conservation of aquatic ressources
Mc Antoño Muñoz	Tel +52 443 322 35 00 ex 4222? omunculo.ira@gmail.com UMSNH-Facultad de Biología-Laboratorio de Biología Acuática bios.biologia.umich.mx	Management and conservation of aquatic ressources
Dr. Erna López	Tel +52 443 322 35 00 ex 4222 ernalopez2004@yahoo.com.mx UMSNH Instituto de investigaciones metalúrgicas www.iim.umich.mx	RS and GIS applications for Land use management

CONAGUA	Comisión Nacional del Agua-Comisión de Cuenca del lago de Cuitzeo
Lic. Claudia Silva	Tel +52 443 2 27 89 74 yhary79@yahoo.com.mx Cuitzeo, Mich.	Planification of natural resources

COLPOS	Colegio de Postgraduados en Agrociencias
Dr. Claudia Hidalgo Moreno	Tel +52 595 9511475? hidalgo@colpos.mx COLPOS-Instituto de Recursos Naturales -  Laboratorio de fertilidad de suelos Montecillo, Edomex, México www.colpos.mx	Soil scientist; mineralogist, micromorphology, soil fertility
Mc. Juliana Padilla Cuevas	Tel +52 595 9511475? jpadic@colpos.mx COLPOS-Instituto de Recursos Naturales -  Laboratorio de fertilidad de suelos Montecillo, Edomex, México www.colpos.mx	Soil scientist; Soil and water analysis, Carbon
Diana González Padilla	Tel +52 595 9511475? anaidrgp@hotmail.com COLPOS-Instituto de Recursos Naturales -  Laboratorio de fertilidad de suelos Montecillo, Edomex, México www.colpos.mx	Soil and water analysis, Carbon

UNAM-CIEco	Universidad Nacional Autómona de México-Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas
Dr. Catherine Mathuriau	Tel +52 443 3222777 ext 42544 mathuriau@oikos.unam.mx UNAM-CIEco Morelia, Michoacán, México www.oikos.unam.mx	Hydrobiologist; Inventory, water quality, water contamination
Lic. Susana Herrejón	Tel +52 443 3222777 ext 42544 she_3785@yahoo.com UNAM-CIEco Morelia, Michoacán, México www.oikos.unam.mx	Hydrobiologist
Dr. Patricia Ávila García	Tel +52 443 32 22 786 pavila@oikos.unam.mx UNAM-CIEco Morelia, Michoacán, México www.oikos.unam.mx	Socio-economist; Society and political ecology; Urban Policy

STUDENTS	(Field practice, short stay of less than 6 months)
Vincent GRUFFAT (French)	Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Géologie (E.N.S.G.), Nancy, France Institut National Polytechnique de Lorraine (INPL), Nancy, France	v.gruffat@gmail.com
Saskia Van Hecke (US-Dutch)	Wageningen University, The Netherlands Environmental Sciences; Chairgroup of Erosion and Soil & Water Conservation (ESWC)	ssvanhecke@gmail.com
Damien Gruffat (French)	ISTOM , Cergy-Pontoise, France Ecole Supérieure d’Agro-développement international	d.gruffat@istom.net
Amandine Pastor (French)	Wageningen University, The Netherlands Biological Farming System group	amandine.pastor@wur.nl
Fátima Guadalupe Montiel Rodarte (Mexican)	Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas (CIEco) Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico	fmontiel@lca.unam.mx
Dario Vicente SÁNCHEZ MORALES (Mexican)	Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Instituto de Geología, Depto. Suelos, Mexico city, Mexico	dario_sanchez77@yahoo.com.mx
Dorothée Vinson (French)	AgroParisTech, Paris, France	Dorothee.VINSON@agroparistech.fr
José Juan  Ramos Gonzalez (Mexican)	Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo (UMSNH), Laboratory of soil. Faculty of Biology, Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico	pichatarito@hotmail.com
Jennifer Druais (French)	Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France	druais@supagro.inra.fr
Youen Grusson (French)	Université de Savoie, Chambéry, France	youen.grusson@wanadoo.fr

{mosgmap mapid=25|height=350px|zoomtype=small|showmaptype=true}

1. Geographical description

The Cointzio watershed is located in the mexican transvolcanic belt, an area with active volcanoes. The landscape consist of a chains of mountains (volcanoes) with altitude up to 3500 m separated by small valleys. Soils are of volcanic origin. At high elevations, Andosols are predominent, while on slopes, Acrisols occur, and in the plains Vertisols and Luvisols are found. After destruction of the soils by erosion, a layer of volcanic tuff, locally called “tepetate” is often present at the soil surface, and has such physical and chemical characteristics that it prevents the growth of natural vegetation. This material can be converted into a productive soil, but this is very expensive.

The climate is a sub-humid temperate one, with heavy rains in summer. The mean temperature is 18°C, and the average precipitation is between 700 to 900 mm/year, mainly distributed from June to October.
The land uses is mainly based on forests, agricultural lands, fallow fields and eroded and desertificated areas. From 2 000 to 3 500 meters high, the land use is mainly agriculture, generally extensively managed. There are few villages and the urbanization was limited but since the last years, an uncontrolled development of week-end houses starts.

Forests, constituted by pine and oak trees, are widely exploited for timber and resin. The deforestation rate is high, increased furthermore by a lack of control by authorities. Moreover, people take advantage of the clearing of forests to set new agricultural fields or grazing areas, and this contributes to more erosion problems in the watershed. Agricultural practices remain traditional, the main one being “año y vez”, meaning that farmers grow crops for a year and let the soil rest the following year. However, fallow fields are often used as pastures, due to the lack of grazing areas, which increases erosion.

In Morelia’s district, a reforestation program was able to increase the percentage of forested areas. However, the planted trees often do not survive due to a lack of attention during their growth. Futhermore, many plantations are made with eucalyptus, which is not a native species. The biodiversity and the original composition of Michoacán forests are not really taken into account in reforestation programs.

Two experimental sites were set up in the Cointzio watershed for previous and actual projects. The first one is located in a micro-watershed called Atécuaro, on a Acrisol, and the second site is on an Andosol. Some data on river flow and climate have also been gathered.

2. Institutional and political setting

Mexico has one of the largest erosion problems of Latin America, the problem being especially large in central Mexico, an area of steep slopes and highly erodible soils. Land management complicates the erosion problem as local customs include removal of crop residues for use as animal food, burning of remaining residues.

Governmental programs to reduce environmental impacts have not been successful. The International Centre for Maize and Wheat Improvement (CYMMIT) initiated activities on conservation tillage at the end of the 70’s with a training program in which participated the FIRA (a government financing and development agency) and the INIFAP (National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Animal Production). In the early 90’s, the INIFAP established a coordinated research program on conservation tillage and created the National Research Centre for sustainable Production (CENAPROS).

Water policy is receiving increased attention over the years, as e.g. shown by the fact that the IV world water forum took place in Mexico. The government created the watershed councils at the beginning of the ’90s, but they began really to be in place in the 2000.

In the case of Michoacán, the Federal government, the state as well as the town of Morelia are very worried about natural resources, especially forest and water. In 1994, a forum about the situation of the Cuitzeo watershed showed the lack of knowledge, the degradation of the area and the non appropriate answers of the institutions. Since 1999, the institutions are working, trying to correct the mistakes or lack of actions, and focusing on the Cuitzeo (4000 km²) and Cointzio (650 km²) watersheds. Thanks to this work, things are changing and a relation between people, administration and scientists is on the way. DESIRE will give us the funds, knowledge of colleagues and more credibility to improve and develop these relationships.

3. Past and on-going projects

• REVOLSO, 2002-2006: Alternative agriculture for a sustainable rehabilitation of deteriorated volcanic soils in Mexico and Chile. The objectives of REVOLSO are to develop improved technical methods to achieve rehabilitation of deteriorated volcanic soils, to achieve sustainable use of soils that are not degraded yet. This is done in collaboration with the local population, and making use of their knowledge.
• Hydrological regionalisation and changes of the land cover and land use in the Cuitzeo watershed, 2004-2006. The objective of this programme is to study 3 different watersheds of ± 100 km², measuring the river dynamics, climate, land cover and land use to try to model the hydrological dynamics of this watershed. The Cointzio watershed is one of the study area study in this project.
• Human development and Ecosystem Management in the Cuitzeo watershed, Michoacan, 2005-2007. The main objective of this programme is to study the effect of ecosystem management on water quality in the Cuitzeo watershed.
• Soil degradation and restauration focus with people participation in the Cointzio watershed, Michoacán, 2005 – 2007. The objectives of this programme are to determine soil degradation levels in the Cointzio watershed, to develop a model of the environmental and socio-economical processes existing in the watershed, to promote remediation through sustainable land use practices

DESIRE will built on results obtained by these previous projects, and will help us to finish the study of the Cointzio catchment, resulting in more data, knowledge, and a better relation with the people. In that way, we will be able to propose a real and complete management package to the land users, farmers, administrations and politics.

4. Relevant end-users / stakeholder groups

In Mexico, the administrative organisation is pyramidal. At the top, the district (municipio) of Morelia, is divided in sub districts (tenencias), which sub-divided in communities (comunidades). In some sub-districts, there are farmer associations.

In the east part of the Cointzio watershed, there is strong and good relations between scientists and people. Our presence since years and our help to try to resolve some of the problems of the community give us a strong knowledge and gratefulness. We count also with very good relations with the main administration of Morelia and the state of Michoacan: the National water commision (CNA) which register climatic data, hydrology and irrigation in the plains, as well with the water catchment, treatment and distribution of the public organisation (OOAPAS) give us all their data and we give them back some technical helps. We share our results and works with the environment commission of the town of Morelia, as well as the secretary of agriculture which are interested to developped soil and water rehabilitation in their area.

DESIRE could help us to study all the watershed with a better precision and get quicker results to presents them to the institutions as well to the farmer communities of the Cointzio Watershed.

Study site stakeholder workshops
In Mexico, stakeholder workshops were combined with ongoing projects in which stakeholders were involved (see Desire report 65).

Stakeholder groups
Local government/Project staff   

• Comisión de Cuenca del Lago de Cuitzeo. Cuitzeo, Michoacán (CCLC) and Comisión de Cuenca del Lago de Patzcuaro, Patzcuaro, Michoacán (CCLP)
• Municipalities of Morelia, Lagunilla, Acuitzio del Canje, Huiramba and Paztcuaro

Public administration    

Agriculture

• • • SAGARPA: Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganaderia, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación (SAGARPA) http://www.sagarpa.gob.mx

Forestry    

• • • Comisión Nacional Forestal (CONAFOR) Morelia, Michoacán  http://www.conafor.gob.mx

Land    

• • • SAGARPA, SEMARNAT + Government of Michoacán + municipalities

Water    

• • • Comisión Nacional del Agua (CONAGUA) Morelia, Michoacán  http://www.cna.gob.mx
    • Organismo Operador de Agua Potable, Alcantarillado y Saneamiento de Morelia (OOAPAS) Morelia, Michoacán http://www.ooapas.gob.mx

Livestock    

• • • SAGARPA: Secretaria de Agricultura, Ganaderia, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y Alimentación (SAGARPA) http://www.sagarpa.gob.mx

Environment

• • • SEMARNAT: Secretaria del Medio ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT) http://www.semarnat.gob.mx

Research Centres and Universities

• • • Universidad Nacional Autómona de México (UNAM), Centro de Investigaciones en Geografía Ambiental (CIGA), Morelia, Michoacán  http://www.ciga.unam.mx
    • Universidad Nacional Autómona de México (UNAM), Centro de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas  (CIEco), Morelia, Michoacán http://www.oikos.unam.mx (link expired)
    • Universidad Michoacana San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Instituto de Biologia, Morelia, Michoacán http://www.umich.mx
    • Colegio de Postgraduados, laboratorio de Fertilidad de suelos, Texcoco, Estado de México. http://www.colpos.mx
    • Universidad Autónoma de Chapingo (UACh)- Centro Regional Universitario Centro Occidente (CRUCO), Morelia, Michoacán http://www.cruco.org (link expired)

NGOs / Community based organizations

• • • None NGOs
    • Some rural communities of Morelia and Acuitzio del canje
    • “Ejidos” (sort of cooperatives: land belongs to the State but uses given to the families, elected direction, monthly meeting, collective works and decisions for some collective interest problems)

Companies    

• • • None

Media (journalists)    

• • • Contacts with local medias (newspapers, radios, TV). One radio on 5 in Morelia, is managed by the University UMSNH.

Schools        

• • • Schools of some of the rural communities

Land users

• • •  “Ejidos”
    • Farmers of the study area

To help understand this complex picture it can be helpful to think in terms the dominant socio-economic and environmental forces that are driving the process of land degradation. These place pressures on the land which have particular impacts. Human society may have already made responses to those impacts, or may have knowledge about how they could respond. Decisions about which responses to make may also be governed by a range of international, national or local policy regulations and agreements.

In the Cointzio study site, the same stakeholder workshop and questionnaires that were used to identify existing and potential response strategies (»Identifying strategies: Stakeholder workshop 1) also discussed and identified these driving forces; pressures; impacts; and the policy and regulation environment. This information was then used to inform the choice of »Field experiments, the scenarios used in »Simulated biophysical impact of remediation strategies and their financial viability, and context for the study site-specific »Policy brief recommendations.

Women in rural communities of Cointzio watershed, traditionally have the responsibility of the home and family while men are in charge of bringing money home.

Before and during DESIRE project, members of DESIRE team worked on the socio-economic situation of different rural communities of the Cointzio watershed.

One study was specifically focus on the women of these communities (Vidal, D., 2007. Estrategias de sobrevivencia: el caso de las comunidades de la microcuenca de Atecuaro, municipio de Morelia, Michoacán, México. Universidad de Concepción, Chile). The data presented here comes from official data, workshops and personal interviews of different rural communities of the study site.

Demography: More women than men, more children (3,5) than the national average (3,0) and low educational level

Income: Agriculture is just an extra income for most farmers! Money is coming from off farm activities (work, foreign remittances, government help)

Labour division: Women at home and men outside

Emigration: 86% of emigrants are men but, in recent years, women are also emigrating to the USA

A success story

Miss Carmen Campos-Domínguez is living in San Rafael Coapa, in the sub-watershed of El Calabozo-Potrerillos. While her husband works in the fields and abroad, she is in charge of the family and home. Thanks to the project of the SEMARNAT (Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources), she asked and obtained a "Patsari" ecological oven. This oven reduces wood consumption by more than 75% and so also reduces deforestation. It also reduces the time spent to go to pick this wood or, save the money needs to buy it. It is also healthier because the smoke is conducted outside the kitchen.

Miss Carmen Campos-Domínguez is promoting widely the benefits of the use of this oven to the community. In addition, she is looking for new economic incomes from women-related activities, she will start a new mushroom production (Pleurotus sp.) project, thanks to SEMARNAT and DESIRE actions.

Select map type

Land use: type Degradation: type Degradation: extent Degradation: degree Degradation: rate Land conservation: groups Land conservation: extent Land conservation: measures Land conservation: effectiveness

Comments

Map version: 4Oct11

Introduction
In the Cointzio basin, land degradation is mainly due to free grazing of cows. To avoid this, a global solution must be searched and must be adapted to different environmental situations. Due to the critical economic situation of farmers, men and women can act only with subsidies (local projects), managed by political authorities. The Cointzio basin has different kinds of soil erosion due to the type of climate (temperate semi-humid with a 6 months rainy season), soils and geomorphology as well as land uses (some mechanized farming, mainly rainfed agriculture with free grazing cattle, forest, recent avocado plantations). Apart from the land degradation, the downstream effect is the refilling of the Cointzio dam used for drinking water of the capital of Michoacán, as well as occasional severe flooding. One of the techniques tested is the effect of crop rotation, including minimum tillage, on sediment losses.

Desertification indices
The desertification risk calculated is water erosion. The calculated risk is moderate (2.58). Introducing a rotation system will presumably increase the soil cover which is an option in the tool. This lowers the risk to low (2.37) while the minimum tillage further reduces the risk to (2.25).

Conclusions
The desertificatio risk assessment tool correctly identifies the risk for water erosion in this area and the effect of the mitigation measures.

A number of existing or potential strategies to combat desertification and land degradation were identified in the Cointzio study site. These strategies (technologies or approaches) were documented and evaluated in a structured and standardised way and their descriptions were entered in the WOCAT Technologies and Approaches databases in order to share the information with other DESIRE sites as well as globally.

For details of all Technologies and Approaches documented in the WOCAT Database (from the DESIRE study sites and from other sites worldwide), see

• WOCAT Technologies Database
• WOCAT Approaches Database

For those relating to this study site, click on the Name of technology or Name of approach to go directly to the descriptions in the database.

WOCAT Technologies Database

WOCAT Approaches Database