Talk
Todos por el Agua
Mark Hill and Josh Ellsworth
Thu, Jul 16, 10am
El Charco del Ingenio
Reserve: nzerriffi@yahoo.com
100 pesos nonmembers, 70 pesos members

All for water and water for all By Josh Ellsworth and Naomi Zerrifi

Mark Hill and Josh Ellsworth of Ecosystem Sciences discuss their ongoing work on a project called Todos por el Agua: A shared solution to protect water resources in San Miguel de Allende. According to Hill and Ellsworth, to ensure a more sustainable future for San Miguel, all its citizens must share the costs, benefits and risks of water use and conservation.

Currently, the labor and money required for the proper management of soils and other natural resources are too costly for our small farmers and rural communities. Todos por el Agua is creating a public and transparent system for collaboration in which local water users pay farmers and other landowners in the upper watershed to protect and restore their land to promote the retention and infiltration of water and the biodiversity of native ecosystems. At the same time, Todos por el Agua is promoting a “culture” of water conservation that will reduce water use and facilitate a clear connection between water users and their rural neighbors.

The program operates in three distinct areas: the promotion of the program and collection of payments from water users; development of a transparent institution to administer the collected funds; and the implementation of water protection and ecological restoration projects.

Similar programs have been successfully developed and implemented in other countries and in the municipalities of Coatepec, Veracruz and Saltillo, Coahuila. Todos por el Agua is being implemented by Salvemos al Rio Laja, AC and Ecosystem Sciences Foundation. The project is supported by Fondo Mexicana para la Conservación de la Naturaleza, AC (fmcn.org), USAID, and the Tinker and and Overbrook Foundations.

Hill is the principal scientist for Ecosystem Sciences, a scientific and environmental design consulting firm, and he has 35 years’ experience in the environmental field. Hill conducts large-scale watershed ecosystem studies and research, provides expert testimony for environmental litigation and is a scientific advisor to several national and international organizations. He has published widely on stream and river restoration and ecosystem management and is an internationally recognized expert.

Their successful river restoration of the Lower Owens River Valley in Northern California is an interesting example of what can be done. Visit http://www.ecosystemsciences.com/  to learn more.

Ellsworth has 15 years’ experience with restoration ecology, forestry, wildlife biology, community development and environmental economics. He is an expert on invasive plant biology and control, and has managed numerous public and private ecological restoration projects.

Find out more about their work here and how it affects us as they give a talk on the project at El Charco del Ingenio. You can make a reservation by emailing nzerriffi@yahoo.com.