Cuatro Ciénegas

STATUS

Ongoing

LAND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM PROTECTED AREA

2,162 acres

Region

Cuatro Ciénegas Chihuahuan desert, Mexico

Protected Species

Coahuilab Box Turtle

Terrapene coahuila

Endangered

Cuatro Ciénegas Slider

Trachemys taylori

Endangered

Black Spiny Softshell Turtle

Apalone spinifera atra

Least Concern

+880 Flora Species

+360 Fauna Species

About the Program

The Coahuilan Box Turtle (Terrapene coahuila) (only about 1,500 left in the wild), the Cuatro Ciénegas Slider (Trachemys taylori) (less than 1,000 remain), and the elusive Cuatro Ciénegas Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera atra) face the risk of extinction due to habitat degradation and groundwater depletion. The Cuatro Ciénegas is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and a federally protected “Area de Protección de Flora y Fauna Cuatro Ciénegas,” located in the central valley of Coahuila, Mexico. Considered the most critical wetland within the Chihuahuan Desert, the Cuatro Ciénegas Basin is a highly endangered, arid, spring-fed ecosystem featuring almost 100 plant and animal species endemic to the valley and its surrounding mountains. Their declining populations include the Coahuilan Box Turtle (approximately 1,500); Cuatro Ciénegas Slider (less than 1,000); Cuatro Ciénegas Softshells (population unknown).

Help us protect biodiversity in this unique region.

Fundraising Goal: $150,000

For land management

Donate Now

Stromatolite cyanobacteria colonies, extinct in most of the world, are abundant in Cuatro Ciénegas. The valley is also one of 25 worldwide hotspots of maximum gastropod diversity, with 12 species (nine endemics). All seven freshwater species found there are listed as endangered by the Mexican Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources. The wetlands are also used by a variety of birds as a stopover site on their migratory routes, with more than 100 species found in the area. In total, about 880 flora species and 360 fauna species call the Cuatro Ciénegas home.

Cuatro Ciénegas has at least 10 endemic endangered fish:

Minckley’s Cichlid (Herichthys minckleyi)
Cuatro Ciénegas Shiner (Cyprinella xanthicara)
Tufa Darter (Etheostoma lugoi)
Bolson Pupfish (Cyprinodon atrorus)
Cuatro Ciénegas Pupfish (Cyprinodon bifasciatus)
Cuatro Ciénegas Gambusia (Gambusia longispinis)
Cuatro Ciénegas Killifish (Lucania interioris)
Northern Platyfish (Xiphophorus gordoni)

Turtle habitat

Coahuilan Box Turtle (Terrapene coahuila)

Cuatro Ciénegas Slider (Trachemys taylori)

Wetlands of the preserve

[01]

Cuatro Ciénegas wetlands and turtle habitat

[02]

Coahuilan Box Turtle swimming (Terrapene coahuila)

[03]

The crystal clear lagunes of Cuatro Ciénegas

[04]

Team biologist monitoring the turtle population

[05]

Approximately 500 Coahuilan Box Turtles are left in the wild

[06]

Common blue damselfly (Enallagma civile)

[07]

Another view of the amazing landscapes of the valley

Remains of Coahuilan Box Turtles (Terrapene coahuila)

MAJOR THREATS

The main threats to turtle habitat are a result of a rapidly growing human population and groundwater loss due to intensive agroindustrial activity outside the valley. A consortium of property owners, government agencies, and conservationists wanting to create a more sustainable water use plan for the valley. The impact of climate change and fluctuations in annual rainfall, along with domestic tourism add to the risks.

How we protect the species

The Turtle Conservancy acquired a parcel of land of 2,124 acres within the Cuatro Ciénegas Valley, Mexico, thereby ensuring long-term survival of the three critically endangered turtle species. The site comprises wetlands habitat critical to the survival of those species, with which we have been working for the past decade. Such an acquisition—with management by the TC and local conservationists and staff—will save a portion of this critically threatened ecosystem and its endemic animals.