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Enhancing Environmental Services in Candelaria River by Restoring Ecological Connectivity

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Water Availability and Management in Mexico

Part of the book series: Water Science and Technology Library ((WSTL,volume 88))

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Abstract

This paper evaluates the conservation status of the trans-border basin of the Candelaria River and its environmental services, with an emphasis on land cover-water quality statistical relationship. The diagnosis indicates that, as a result of the human activities of the last fifty years, the basin has lost 60% of its natural vegetation and increased the contribution of solid waste and sewage. The nutrient that most exports the basin is silicates (SiO44− = 79.82 kg ha yr−1), followed by total nitrogen (TN = 10.7 kg ha yr−1) and total phosphorus (TP = 2.1 kg ha yr−1). There was a significant positive correlation between the percentage of disturbed areas adjacent to the river (non-forest) and the concentration of TN and TP for the dry season (r2 = 0.72 and 0.52, respectively) and between the disturbed areas and the concentration of silicates in the rainy season (r2 = 0.82). This close relationship between the land cover type and water quality is significant because the river is a natural bridge between two of the most important protected areas in the country (Calakmul and Terminos Lagoon), with environmental services value of 600–1500 US$ ha−1. As an alternative for its conservation, a program of ecological connectivity is proposed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the pre-final draft version revision by Ph.D. Abraham Efraim Rodríguez-Mata belonging to CONACyT-Instituto Tecnológico de Culiacán.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ecología Aplicada del Sureste A.C., Campeche, Mexico

    Jorge Arturo Benítez-Torres

  2. Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Tecnológica de Culiacán, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    Adriana Roé-Sosa

  3. Unidad de Posgrado e Investigación, CONACyT-Instituto Tecnológico de Culiacán, Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico

    Leonel Ernesto Amábilis-Sosa

Authors
  1. Jorge Arturo Benítez-Torres
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  2. Adriana Roé-Sosa
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  3. Leonel Ernesto Amábilis-Sosa
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Correspondence to Leonel Ernesto Amábilis-Sosa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Basic Sciences and Engineer, Hidalgo State Autonomous University, Mineral de la Reforma, Hidalgo, Mexico

    Elena María Otazo-Sánchez

  2. Food Technology Department, Technological University of Izucar de Matamoros, Izúcar de Matamoros, Puebla, Mexico

    Amado Enrique Navarro-Frómeta

  3. Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering & Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Vijay P. Singh

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Benítez-Torres, J.A., Roé-Sosa, A., Amábilis-Sosa, L.E. (2020). Enhancing Environmental Services in Candelaria River by Restoring Ecological Connectivity. In: Otazo-Sánchez, E., Navarro-Frómeta, A., Singh, V. (eds) Water Availability and Management in Mexico. Water Science and Technology Library, vol 88. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-24962-5_7

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