Editorial: Combining the Science and Practice of Restoration Ecology—Case studies of a Grassroots Binational Restoration Collaborative in the Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion (2014-2019)

Abstract

The Sky Island Restoration Collaborative (SIRC) is a growing partnership between government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private landowners in southeast Arizona, the United States, and northern Sonora, Mexico. Starting in 2014 as an experiment to cultivate restoration efforts by connecting people across vocations and nations, SIRC has evolved over 5 years into a flourishing landscape-restoration initiative. The group is founded on the concept of developing a restoration economy, where ecological and socioeconomic benefits are interconnected and complimentary. The variety of ideas, people, field sites, administration, and organizations promote learning and increase project success through iterative adaptive management, transparency, and sharing. The collaborative seeks to make restoration self-sustaining and improve quality of life for citizens living along the US-Mexico border. Research and experiments are developed between scientists and practitioners to test hypotheses, qualify procedures, and quantify impacts on shared projects. Simultaneously, partners encourage and facilitate connecting more people to the landscape—via volunteerism, internships, training, and mentoring. Through this history, SIRC’s evolution is pioneering the integration of community and ecological restoration to protect biodiversity in the Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion. This editorial introduces SIRC as a unique opportunity for scientists and practitioners looking to engage in binational partnerships and segues into this special journal issue we have assembled that relates new findings in the field of restoration ecology.

Five Year Analyses of Vegetation Response to Restoration using Rock Detention Structures in Southeastern Arizona, United States

“…This region is globally recognized for its biodiversity and productivity (DeBano and Ffolliott 1994;López-Hoffman and Quijada-Mascareñas 2012;Devender et al 2012). In 2013, concern for the unique biological, ecological, and cultural values of the Madrean Archipelago, including its riparian corridors and ciénegas, brought land managers, landowners, restoration practitioners, and scientists together to form the Sky Island Restoration Cooperative (SIRC, Norman et al 2021Norman et al , 2022a. This coalition seeks to "restore hydrologic and biologic processes throughout whole watersheds" (Buckley et al 2014) and the members of the SIRC, with their combined experience and expertise, began developing restoration projects to protect this landscape.…”

Developing Climate Resilience in Aridlands Using Rock Detention Structures as Green Infrastructure

“…In the Madrean Archipelago Ecoregion, southwestern United States, and Northern Mexico [6,7], restoration practitioners are installing rock detention structures (RDS) in rural and ex-urban settings to achieve similar benefits. The installation of RDS, ranging in size from small one-rock dams, to check dams, to large gabion structures, can stabilize erodible channels and increase flow volumes over time [8][9][10][11].…”