Based on an initial assessment of the health of the local landscape conducted by project co-director Dr. David Rapport, in November 2007 we began landscape restoration activities in the two settlements. Michael Nickels of Seven Ravens Farm (Salt Spring Island, Canada) joined our team, having had considerable experience in restoring degraded, once forested, regions in other parts of the world. It was clear at the outset that, owing to the combination of massive deforestation and severe overgrazing, much of the landscape around the settlements has lost most of its topsoil. Large erosion gullies are visible everywhere, and in places the roots of trees are standing above barren ground, as the layer of soil once supporting tree growth has been eroded by the action of winds and rains, following deforestation and overgrazing.

Michael Nickels first demonstrated some of the initial simple steps to restore health to the landscape. This included creating swales by laying rocks and branches across the slopes to impede water runoff and capture soils, and finding small crevices within the rocks where seeds could be planted for seedlings to take root. The practice of swales may have been germane to traditional Rarámuri practices of building trincheras (ditches) along hillsides, which some of the local elders referred to, but knowledge of which seemed to have disappeared or have gone dormant among younger generations.

It soon became apparent, however, that while these heavily degraded lands could be gradually restored, the primary requirement would be to exclude all grazers, particularly the highly destructive goats owned by the Rarámuri themselves, as well as the larger cattle, often owned by non-Rarámuri who take them to pasture in the area. There was some initial discussion about setting aside a degraded hillside to be fenced to keep the grazer off, and where a large-scale demonstration revegetation project could be carried out. Ultimately, owing both to the general conditions of the landscape and to the initial difficulty of excluding grazers, the general consensus was that focusing on tree nurseries and home gardens, over which people could have greater control, would be the best first step towards revegetating the landscape. Accordingly, we put in place several tree nurseries and enclosed home gardens, near the homes of community members who agreed to be involved in order to acquire the know-how.

A temporary tree nursery was set up within an existing fenced area near the home of one community member, laying down a plastic sheet and using discarded tin cans and plastic bottles as seed containers (which was also an opportunity for a demonstration of non-biodegradable garbage collection and reuse or ecological disposal). The containers were filled with topsoil obtained from the riverbed of the nearby stream, and seeded with seeds from local pines, oaks, and other local species. Michael demonstrated how to prepare a compost pile using plant materials and manure for later use to fertilize the fields--another practice that, according to the elders, may have been germane to traditional practices, probably supplanted by the introduction of chemical fertilizers. Michael also demonstrated how to dispose of non-reusable garbage in pits created for that purpose, with soil poured on top and tree seeds planted therein. In the pits, the garbage acts to retain rainwater, facilitating tree growth. Finally, he made initial demonstrations on home garden improvement, including use of an “A-frame” to create parallel contours to retain water and soil, irrigation systems using rainwater from roofs and re-capture of grey waters, use of mulch, and training of fruit trees for greater productivity.

We then focused on building a full-fledged enclosed tree nursery near the home of one of the residents in an area measuring 6 x 6 m that the community decided to devote to this purpose. We provided the fencing materials (strong wire) while community members provided the posts, and together we carried out the installation. The nursery includes an irrigation system with 1/2-inch pipe and a hand-held sprinkler engineered by the community, with which they can readily water the plants. Four kinds of pines were planted: Engelmannia, Arizonica, Duranguensis and Cembroides. Each bed was carefully prepared by digging deep into the layers of soil and clay and adding nutrients from the riverbed, and then covered with pine needles from the area. A shade cover made with pine branches was added to protect the beds from direct sunlight and help retain moisture. Composted manure was also added to the nursery beds.

In addition, we built two enclosed home gardens. The first one, approximately 5 1/2 m sq., was established at the home of one of the women who have been most involved in project activities. The wire-fenced garden uses grey water from clothes washing, which had previously gone into runoff. Fifteen different kinds of vegetables were planted, including beans, squash, garlic, and spinach. The intent was that the family would harvest the food, but share the seeds with the community. An area near another family compound was enclosed with a circular rock wall; it was intended as a communal nursery/garden. There, four types of pine trees were planted along the perimeter, with spinach in the center. For both of these latter projects, we achieved cooperation between families that did not normally work together.

The first priority when the trees in the nursery are suitable for replanting will be around the existing dwellings (most of which have little or no shade or plant life around them), with the added possibility of bringing seedlings for sale in the nearby market town of Guachochi. Eventually, the tree nursery should supply the seedlings for hillside revegetation. We are now considering options for providing extended opportunities to “train the trainers” in all these and other relevant techniques, in order to multiply the effects of this training among community members.