CONSERVATION OF PRIORITY CHIHUAHUA TALL

Conservation activities will occur in two Grassland Priority Conservation Areas (GPCAs): Lagunas del Este and Alto Conchos where the grasslands are characterized by high grass cover, which provide habitat for 30 priority species of high regional or continental conservation significance.

The project will implement the following objectives: 1) Maintain connectivity and pasture quality in two GPCAs in northern Mexico through conservation agreements with key site owners, covering over 22,000 acres; 2) Restore pasture areas by implementing better agricultural and livestock practices, including the cultivation of native grasses and shrub control and livestock management practices to reduce overgrazing impacts in these bird-important areas, and through training local producers in over 61,000 acres; 3) Conduct a comprehensive assessment of land tenure and legal status, and analyze pasture conditions using desertification modeling to identify areas in urgent need of conservation; and 4) Monitor the diversity and density of migratory grassland birds both within and outside the areas subject to long-term conservation efforts.