Conflicts Between Biodiversity Conservation and Humans: The Case of the Chihuahua Desert and Cuatro Ciénegas

Preface
Acknowledgments
Contents
Contributors
Chapter 1: A Land of Illusions and Thin Air
	References
Chapter 2: The Cosmovision of the Ancient Inhabitants of the Desert: A Look Through the Cave Painting
	2.1 Introduction
	2.2 The Task of Obtaining the Information
	2.3 The Ancient Inhabitants of the Desert
		2.3.1 Caves, Mountains, and Shelters
			2.3.1.1 Cave Painting
			2.3.1.2 Incisions on Mother Rock in Layers
			2.3.1.3 Habitation Caves
			2.3.1.4 Funeral Caves
	2.4 A Millenary Life in the Desert of a Highly Successful Culture
	2.5 The Worldview of the Ancient Desert Dwellers
	2.6 The Archaeological Interpretation of the Cave Paintings
	2.7 Conclusions
	References
Chapter 3: Life in Cuatro Ciénegas: A Historical Tour of the Coahuila Desert Between the Sixteenth and Ninetieth Centuries, Its People, and Their Relationship with the Environment
	3.1 Early Colonial Years
	References
Chapter 4: Water as a Socializing Element: Hydraulic Culture in New Spain Between the Sixteenth and the Eighteenth Centuries
	4.1 Introduction
	4.2 Water and Social Dimension
	4.3 Pre-Hispanic Background
	4.4 European Contributions: The Sixteenth Century
	4.5 The Seventeenth Century
	4.6 Epilogue of the Eighteenth Century: The Control of Northern Desert Areas
		4.6.1 The Case of Baja California
	4.7 Conclusions
	References
Chapter 5: Environmental Conservation, Water, and Wetland Governance in Mexico
	5.1 Evolution of Environmental Law
		5.1.1 Allocation and Management of Natural Resources
		5.1.2 Preservation of Animals, Plants, and Natural Heritage Sites
		5.1.3 The Mexican Revolution
		5.1.4 Environmental Protection
		5.1.5 Sustainable Development
	5.2 Environmental Laws Governing Water in Mexico
		5.2.1 Water Conservation
		5.2.2 Concessions
		5.2.3 Water Allocation
	5.3 Environmental Laws Governing Wetlands in Mexico
		5.3.1 Land Use Regulation
		5.3.2 Conservation Areas
		5.3.3 Natural Resources
		5.3.4 Environmental Protection
	5.4 How to Better Protect Water and Wetlands
	References
		International Treaties
		Laws, Regulations, and Decrees
Chapter 6: Cuatro Ciénegas: An Aquifer at Risk of Overexploitation
	6.1 Introduction
	6.2 Materials and Methods
	6.3 Results
	6.4 Allocations in the Natural Protected Area (NPA)
	6.5 Discussion
	References
Chapter 7: Demise of Churince
	7.1 Introduction
	7.2 Cuatro Ciénegas Basin
	7.3 Rio Churince System
	7.4 A Walk Down Churince
	7.5 Epilogue
	References
Chapter 8: Plants as a Canary in the Mine: A Wetland Response to Ecosystem Failure
	8.1 Introduction
		8.1.1 Canaries in the Mine, Canaries on the Surface
	8.2 Deserts, Water and Canaries
		8.2.1 Desert Springs
		8.2.2 Water Systems in Cuatro Ciénegas
		8.2.3 Being Riparian in a Changing Arid Environment
	8.3 Plant Canary # 1: Samolus ebracteatus var. coahuilensis
	8.4 Plant Canary # 2: Flaveria chlorifolia
	8.5 Plant Canary # 3: Schoenus nigricans
	8.6 Conclusions and Perspectives
	References
Chapter 9: Can Bacterial Populations Go Extinct? Evolutionary Biology and Bacterial Studies in Cuatro Ciénegas Shed Light on the Extinction Process
	9.1 The Biology of Extinction
	9.2 Species Extinction Is Forever, and Bacteria Are Not Immune to It!
	9.3 Periodic Selection in Bacterial Populations and Local Adaptation
	9.4 Seasonal and Catastrophic Environmental Changes Affect Bacterial Populations
	9.5 Evolutionary Rescue in Bacteria Can Help to Avoid Local Extinction
	9.6 Case 1. Pseudomonas otitidis from Laguna Intermedia, Cuatro Ciénegas
		9.6.1 Natural Setup, Unnatural Stress
		9.6.2 Pseudomonas of Churince: 2003–2015
		9.6.3 The Demographic Roller Coaster of Pseudomonas otitidis
		9.6.4 Adaptations and Evolutionary Rescue Observed in P. otitidis After Environmental Changes in Churince
		9.6.5 All for Nothing? The Apparent Local Extinction of Pseudomonas from Churince
	9.7 Case 2. Bacillus coahuilensis from Laguna Grande
		9.7.1 The Long Search for B. coahuilensis Strains
		9.7.2 The Genomic Adaptation of B. coahuilensis
		9.7.3 Interactions Among Bacillus Strains from Cuatro Ciénegas
	9.8 Concluding Remarks
	References
Chapter 10: Children Can Save the World: CBTa 22, Rural High School as a Social Experiment for a Sustainable Future
	10.1 The Beginnings for the Conservation of This Marvelous Place
	10.2 Plan Cuatro Ciénegas 2040: The Dream
	10.3 Unifying Efforts: Genesis 4C, a Museum-Laboratory
	References
Chapter 11: Conservation of the Most Diverse Oasis of the World and the Future of Our Path in the Deserts: Lessons from Cuatro Ciénegas to the World
	11.1 The Past
	11.2 The Present
	11.3 The Future?
	References
Index