Collective Urban Ecosystem Restoration on the U.S./ Mexico Border

Our collective vision for a sustainable Barrio 

For thousands of years the water of the Rio Grande/ Rio Bravo ran freely through the land we now call El Paso, TX, USA/ Ciudad Juarez, Chih. Mexico supporting a vibrant and unique riparian ecosystem which contrasted starkly with the surrounding Chihuahuan desert. Today, that same ecosystem has been rendered almost unrecognizable following extensive engineering of the waterway including its damming and channelization, along with rapid industrialization of the region which led to increased water use and pollution. The residents of El Paso’s southside neighborhoods have seen the transformation of their homelands from riparian ecosystem to agricultural land to commercial/industrial use throughout the course of the 20th century with drastic impacts on the wellbeing of human and non-human residents of this region. Today, the rivershed which once housed 80ft tall cottonwoods and 100s of aquatic species is now home to a neighborhood with one of the highest amounts of heat-retaining urban surfaces/ lowest amount of vegetative cover in the city and a variety of sources of industrial contamination including a metal recycling facility, a cardboard recycling facility, a railroad and railyard, a bus hub and an intersection of several major highways leading to an international port of entry where lines of cars, including many commercial diesel trucks, idle for hours. 

In this context, we as residents of El Paso’s southside in the neighborhood we refer to as Barrio Chamizal, have recognized the need for an alternative vision for our neighborhood outside of the one that has led to the rapid degradation of our ecosystem. Through intergenerational, ecological and cultural knowledge exchange and collective land stewardship, residents build these alternative solutions and further our understanding of our place as part of, not separate from, the ecosystem, and recognizing that alternatives to the climate crisis can be born from knowledge and practices already held within our community. 

Our approach 

Restoring Urban Ecosystems - Our neighborhood, Barrio Chamizal, was named for the once abundant Chamiza plant that grew alongside the Rio Grande before the area was developed. In the Chamizal community garden, located directly in the heart of our neighborhood, and beyond, we are working to restore the ecosystem that gave this land its name. With the river now channelized and dry most of the year and a significant portion of the neighborhood being covered with buildings and paved surfaces, we know that we can’t simply recreate the ecosystem that once thrived here. However, we do see the ways we can incorporate more native and adapted plants into our neighborhood as well as employ strategies such as rain water harvesting and green infrastructure into our neighborhood. We do this by learning about and uplifting the way residents throughout the neighborhood already practice conservation techniques as well as researching and learning from regional experts through consultation and trips to restored and protected areas. Through our practice and study we are learning and reshaping our urban ecosystem into a place that will withstand the increasing extreme heat and drought while supporting a community characterized by the vibrancy of life: human, plant, insect and otherwise. 

Protecting the rivershed - Being located within the valley along the Rio Grande, we are fortunate to have access to flood irrigation water from the river. Every year access to this water becomes more limited as land throughout the valley becomes increasingly developed and water availability becomes more scarce. By maintaining the canals that deliver the water from the river through community clean ups and using the water for our farm, we aim to preserve and promote the growth of what is still left of the river’s natural pathway. 

Collective Land stewardship and Knowledge Exchange  - Our 1-acre urban community farm, Tierra es Vida ‘Land is Life’, once an abandoned residential lot, now serves as a community space, outdoor classroom and demonstration site alongside Jardin Chamizal.  Here, residents of all ages foster long-lasting relationships while creating shared responsibility to build community and care for the land using regenerative methods that restore ecological health. Our goal of ecosystem restoration doesn't end just at the land that we care for. We hope to promote restoration throughout our entire neighborhood. This is why we provide technical and material support to residents growing plants throughout the neighborhood alongside workshops and gatherings centered around sharing knowledge about growing food and native ecosystem restoration. Topics include: medical plant uses, how to choose seasonal and desert adapted food plants, seed stewardship, composting and tree pruning.

Intergenerational Participation - LMO is made up of the families of the Barrio Chamizal,  Our team is intergenerational, from children to elders who form part of our collective decision-making process. Learning to recognize and incorporate community members of all ages and abilities is a critical aspect of our work. Children and youth from the Chamizal Community and our partner daycare, Rayito del Sol, regularly visit Tierra es Vida where they are immersed in both free play in a natural environment and structured activities.

Strengthening Foodways -  Through caring for the land and harvesting in a collective process of ceremony, reflection, celebration and discussion alongside our work we develop our culture as it relates to food; embracing local and sustainable consumption. We produce food crops that are culturally and regionally important, while also re-learning how to grow and eat Chihuahuan desert native foods - promoting access to and appetites for safe and healthy foods. Cooking with ingredients grown on the land in our wood-burning adobe oven and stove we connect to one another through food while also re-imagining our relationship to the food itself; exploring new pathways not only of how our food is grown, but how it is shared.

Impact 

• Creating a blueprint for sustainable urban ecosystems. 
• Improving health and nutrition outcomes in our neighborhood through increased access and appetites for native and locally grown foods.
• Creating spaces to facilitate the sharing of knowledge regarding native plant and food crops growing in an urban, desert environment. Fostering the valuing of and perpetuation of traditional ecological knowledge in our region and the networks able to sustain and expand that knowledge.  
• Urban ecosystem restoration and climate change preparation through the planting of native plant species, with a focus on increasing tree canopy and the use of water-wise planting and rainwater harvesting techniques 

Measured through: 

• Increased resident participation, both frequency and depth of participation for each family/resident and number of new participants 
• Increased crop production in community gardens and resident homes 
• Increased prevalence of native plant, bird and pollinator species measured through weekly bird and pollinator observations. 
• Increased land in the neighborhood dedicated to native plant habitat