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In the semi-desert of Zacatecan, a mosaic of grasslands and bushes between the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental, life resists in extreme conditions. This region is part of the Chihuahuan Desert, the largest and most diverse arid area in northern Mexico and one of the most diverse arid regions on the planet. Cacti, agaves, lechuguilla and governa grow here, and there is fauna adapted to water scarcity such as lizards, rattlesnakes and the Mexican prairie dog, a species endemic to the country. The average temperature is around 16.86 °C and annual rainfall reaches just 391.50 mm; Even so, pine forests capture and filter water that recharges aquifers that support communities and wildlife.
But this territory is facing growing pressure. Droughts are increasingly frequent due to climate change and changes in land use, which reduce the water that supports livestock and seasonal agriculture. In the search for income, overgrazing and overexploitation of aquifers accelerate desertification, compact the soil and limit the infiltration of little rain, affecting staple crops such as chilli, corn and squash and reducing access to traditional resources such as oregano, lechuguilla and medicinal plants. Open-pit mining fragments habitats, generates noise pollution and puts community health at risk. All this reduces grasslands and affects key species such as the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos canadensis) and the Mexican prairie dog (Cynomys mexicanus).
Part of this region has been decreed the Zacatecano Semidesierto Flora and Fauna Protection Zone, northeast of Zacatecas, and includes Mazapil, Concepción del Oro and El Salvador, where approximately 32,398 people live. Despite this recognition, communities face high levels of marginalization: over 70% earn less than two minimum wages, nearly 40% have not completed basic education, and there are still homes without access to running water. The local economy depends almost entirely on agriculture and livestock, activities that are critically dependent on increasingly scarce water. Lack of opportunities forces young people to emigrate to the United States or nearby cities; Those who remain run the risk of violence and recruitment by organized crime.
In this context, Natural Spaces and Sustainable Development (Endesu), in alliance with rural communities, promotes a response that seeks to heal the landscape to secure the future. The project is based on nature-based solutions and adaptive landscape management. Trained community brigades harvest and plant native grasses to restore vegetation cover; They prepare the soil with isolines and microbasins that capture and retain moisture; and promote the natural regeneration of degraded soils. It also promotes regenerative landscape management and community water management practices, in a region where there are almost no perennial rivers and access to water is limited. These actions seek to break the vicious circle between environmental degradation and rural poverty.
The restoration of meadows is linked to the recovery of emblematic species and social strengthening. Between 2011 and 2017, Endesu developed a program to recover golden eagle populations and their habitat in Mexico, creating a model of conservation of nesting and hunting territories that protects large areas of prairie, recovers natural prey – prairie dogs, hares and wild turkeys – and increases the reproductive success of golden eagles. This model has been applied since 2021 in northern Zacatecas, identifying nests, hunting areas and threats, and in 2023 focused on restoring Mexican prairie dog colonies: once established, these colonies displace xeric scrub, allow native grasses to return, and accelerate ecosystem recovery. At the same time, community brigades in places like Tanque Nuevo and Tanque del Alto are trained in rangeland restoration, water management, species monitoring and regenerative livestock management. Initiatives like Educate from home, Young people who preserve AND Improve your community They train new generations of local observers, generate temporary jobs and strengthen social cohesion in the face of climate change.
All of this local effort adds to a larger conversation: how to coexist with wildlife in a country where human communities and threatened species share territory. This is the heart of the International Meeting on Coexistence with Wildlife, a free meeting that will be held from 6 to 9 November 2025 in the Patio de Novices of the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso, in Mexico City, and which can also be followed from the website. This space will bring together specialists, institutions, students and young professionals to share learning from three decades of conservation, analyze challenges such as climate change, wildlife conflict management and habitat restoration, and outline courses of action for the coming decades. The Meeting, which celebrates 30 years of Natural Spaces and Sustainable Development, is also an open invitation: add your voice to the future of coexistence with wildlife.
