Binational Partnerships That Work

Binational Partnerships That Work—Environment

Tijuana River Estuary Binational Conservation and Environmental Education:
http://www.tijuanaestuary.com/visitors_center.asp

The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR) in Imperial Beach, California lies directly adjacent to the Mexican border for almost three miles. The TRNEER provides winter habitat and stopover for at least 370 species of birds, but the rest of the watershed (of which two-thirds is in Mexico) have created challenges to the Reserve’s conservation efforts. Nearby canyons have been inappropriately developed by squatters, depositing several feet of soil and trash in fragile wetlands each year.

For almost a decade, TRNERR staff has looked across the border to Tijuana for help in solving this problem, using environmental education and innovative projects to bridge political boundaries. The Ecoparque wastewater treatment and reclamation facility in Tijuana developed out of this outreach effort. Mexican NGOs, such as Gaviotas and Proyecto Fronterizo de Educación Ambiental, continue to collaborate with TRNERR staff on water quality monitoring and an ongoing teacher-training program. In 2003, binational partnership had further exciting developments: the municipalities of Tijuana and Tecate became members of the TRNERR management authority, and the California Coastal Conservancy, in its first granting outside California, granted over $200,000 through ICF to carry out a research and project feasibility study in Los Laureles Canyon in Tijuana. Municipal authorities in Tijuana are also seeking input on new parks and infrastructure projects that may impact the reserve.

Conservation Partnership:
Pronatura and Conservation Biology Institute (CBI)

www.pronatura.org.mx

http://www.consbio.org/

In 2000, scientists gathered at a "Missing Linkages" conference to identify active and potential wildlife corridors in California. What they discovered was that many of the southernmost corridors extend into Baja California, especially for large mammals, such as the Peninsular Bighorn Sheep and mountain lion. The group resolved to continue studying these corridors and hopefully protect them over the long term. Pronatura Noroeste-Mar de Cortés (Pronatura) and Conservation Biology Institute (CBI) agreed to bring their technical expertise and scientific knowledge together to benefit this large-scale initiative.

Three years passed before a concrete opportunity to collaborate appeared. In 2003, the San Diego Foundation and the International Community Foundation simultaneously funded Pronatura and CBI to implement the "Las Californias Binational Conservation Initiative-Phase II," which is designed to identify potential binational conservation areas along the California-Baja California border. In addition, Pronatura will take a closer look at the rapidly-disappearing open space between Tijuana and Tecate to see if there is an opportunity to protect this corridor before it is too late. CBI published the first report from this initiative in July 2003, entitled "La Posta Linkage Portfolio: San Diego County, California." The Nature Conservancy is also contributing in-kind training in computer modeling to this effort.