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What Is Sustainable Development?
What Does Growth Mean For The Lower Rio Grande Basin?
Signs of Sustainability Along the Border
A Rich, But Threatened Environment
Sustainability & The Future of Resources
Demographic Profile of the Border
University of Michigan Population-Environment Researcher Joins Audubon
Teaching Children About Development: Audubon's Work With Border Students
The National Audubon Society is an international environmental organization dedicated to conserving and restoring natural ecosystems for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity. Audubon has pursued this mission through an agenda based on activism, education, and outreach. Much of Audubon's activities to conserve natural resources, restore habitat and promote sustainable growth are accomplished through its international network of local chapters and sanctuaries.
To accomplish its goal of habitat preservation and improvement of the human environment, Audubon learned that it needed to address the complex linkages between population growth, resource consumption and environmental degradation. For the past ten years, one of Audubon's sanctuaries, the Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary (SPGS), has been actively working with the communities of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas and municipalities in Northeastern Tamaulipas, Mexico to strengthen environmental education and examine the local dimensions of population growth and environmental preservation. These communities form a binational region known as the Lower Rio Grande Basin. Audubon sees the border as two unique worlds interconnected by its environment, economies, and culture. The interconnection causes one side of the border to be affected by the actions of its neighbor.
Audubon acquired the Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary in 1971 to preserve the native habitat of the border region. The Sanctuary consists of 172 acres adjacent to the Rio Grande, southeast of Brownsville, and includes the largest and best preserved remnant of Texas sabal palm forest in the United States. As the border population grew, native habitat quickly disappeared. This transformation of the environment, combined with recent industrial pollution problems and changes in water use, has placed numerous stresses on the border's remaining natural resources. These stresses reinforce the need to develop new strategies to ensure the long-term protection of natural resources. The SPGS staff has been active in the pursuit of these strategies by building relationships with local community leaders, on both sides of the border, to develop a vision of sustainable community. Audubon is optimistic that efforts to encourage binational dialogue will continue to grow into the future and help address common border concerns. Audubon is commitment to working with border communities to address how to protect the environment while improving living conditions for all Basin residents.
Sustainable development is a concept that addresses both economic development and ecological preservation. Unfortunately, a contradiction between the desire for perpetual economic and demographic growth and conservation of the natural resource base exists given that the world's resources are finite. Because of the costs, such as waste production and depletion of scarce resources like timber, oil and water, some ecologists argue that society may not find a balance between economic growth and what they call earth's carrying capacity. This problem requires us to examine resource consumption and search for new ways to meet basin human needs.
While communities may never achieve perfect "sustainability," increased attention to the problems of pollution, resource depletion, and demographic pressures at both the global and local level is required to resolve ecological imbalances. Some common strategies which could be taken to reduce developmental pressures in the Lower Rio Grande Basin include regional and local environmental planning that encourages conservation, discourages resource depletion, and protects native habitat. These efforts will help protect the region's plant and animal resources. Furthermore, the Basin's growing stream of destructive hazardous and solid wastes must be slowed to reduce environmental degradation, public health threats, and land-fill pressures.
Sustainability in the Basin means not only improving environmental management practices, through more efficient technologies, but also requires developing a long-term vision to harmonizes the natural world with human needs. Only when people living along the border take the challenging steps to balance environmental and social well-being with economic growth will sustainability become achievable.
One of the first resources to examine should be water. Water rights in South Texas, vital to sustain present needs, are already over-allocated. As border cities expand they will certainly challenge traditional uses of this resource. Continued rapid urban growth, concurrent with the extensive agriculture demands for water, creates the potential for bitter conflicts between irrigation districts and municipal users. While conservation efforts in the short term can provide partial resolution of competing water demands, questions remain about how many people, businesses, and farms can be provided for in the long-run.
Another equally urgent issue in the border region concerns the quality of water. The residents of the Basin receive almost all of their drinking water from the Rio Grande. However, because of rapid industrial growth, without adequate environmental protection, along with the extensive upstream application of pesticides, the region's water quality has been seriously endangered. The lack of sufficient waste water treatment facilities repeatedly earns the Rio Grande a place on endangered river lists.
Beyond the impact of growth on natural resources, population growth has importance for its economic and social consequences. The debate, however, is whether the benefits of population growth outweigh the costs. For instance, does population growth create more social and employment problems, than benefits?
Development of economic opportunities is certainly important, and needed, for a region described as one of America's poorest with unemployment rates significantly higher than state and national rates. While it is positive to note that recent statistics show high rates of job creation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, unemployment figures have not sufficiently changed in recent years. Furthermore, total poverty levels in the Valley remain quite high.
Related to this situation is one of the most controversial and politically charged issues for communities living along the border: immigration. Immigration is a volatile issue which must be examined by border communities to assess its benefits and costs. Some residents feel that in-migration contributes to unemployment problems. This issue, as well as other factors contributing to population growth, require careful examination.
Across the border, Tamaulipan border municipalities exhibit some of the highest per capita incomes in Mexico. Indeed, official unemployment rates are lower than U.S. national unemployment figures. From this information one might conclude that Mexicans residing along the border have the highest living standards in Mexico. However, caution is warranted when mentioning these statistics for several reasons. For one, unemployment figures are based on the economically active population*, not the total population. In Matamoros the economically active population comprises roughly fifty percent of the total population. Secondly, the costs of living are higher along the border than elsewhere in Mexico. Finally, per capita figures are misleading because they do not explain how wealth is distributed.
Growth also plays a role in quality of life issues. Quality of life is a difficult term to define. Nonetheless, the phrase helps us to examine values and well-being on a personal as well as a community level. A variety of social indicators can be used to measure quality of life such as income levels, educational and employment status, housing and health conditions. However, the term also includes the status of the environment. The city of Brownsville incorporated this idea in its Vision 2000 report. Brownsville leaders recognized that the city's resacas and cultural heritage are integral to having a unique and special community. This demonstrates that environmental resources are important to community welfare.
Unfortunately, urbanization and land-clearing have negatively impacted many of the border region's unique resources. If current growth trends in the border region continue, border cities will have to contend with increased demands for jobs, housing, social services and natural resources. The inadequate planning and preparation for this growth has contributed to many of the region's environmental problems. The enormous investment costs now required to protect the environment and meet basic infrastructural needs might have been reduced if intervention occurred earlier. Fortunately, awareness and concern about growth and sustainable development are now emerging from public officials and well as border citizens.
*Economically Active Population is defined as the population over 12 years of age who are either working; not working but employed; or not working, but looking for employment.
Many border cities have developed recycling programs or supported reforestation projects. For instance, the city of Brownsville is already recycling over 500 tons of municipal wastes and is working hard to increase that amount. Other cities are working with equal diligence. Beyond reduction of wastes, Brownsville is also trying to create an eco-industrial park that will develop technology to reduce industrial pollution while improving efficiency. The goal of the project is to link pollution prevention, training, and new technologies to job creation.
Participation of private citizens and industry is certainly a key to making sustainability a possibility. Two Lower Rio Grande Valley organizations, Valley Proud Environmental Council and Chem-Pruf Door Company, represent this commitment. Both were honored with the 1994 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence presented to those who make a significant contribution to the environment. Valley Proud is a Harlingen-based civic organization that plants trees and supports cleanup campaigns. Chem-Pruf is a Brownsville-based small business with a long track record of recycling and reducing industrial wastes.
The commitment to sustainable development has also been manifested through several regional initiatives dedicated to supporting cross-border information exchange and building political will to protect the Basin's resources. Two examples of regional efforts to increase community awareness, interest and action across the Basin can be demonstrated by Vecinos del Bajo Rio Bravo and the Environmental Resource Commission (ERC) of the Lower Rio Grande Development Council. Vecinos is a binational citizens organization with citizens from the Valley and Northeastern Tamaulipas. Members are building alliances and removing communication barriers.
The above examples reflect only a small, and incomplete, sampling of citizen, government, and private actions to conserve and protect the border's natural resources. There are many more noteworthy examples of individuals and organizations who are increasing awareness of border environmental problems and providing concrete actions in response. Border citizens should take advantage of these and other resources to ensure the long-term well-being of the Lower Rio Grande Basin and off-set the impact of rapid growth.
The land itself is rich in fertile river delta soils. Added to this soil, is a subtropical climate which results in a long growing season. This combination of soil and sun makes the Valley one of the nation's most productive food producing and agricultural areas. Valley farms and ranches produce a gross income of $500 and $600 million annually4.
There is an extensive list of species found in the Lower Rio Grande border region. Over 1200 species of plants, 700 vertebrates including more than 450 bird species, 50 species of mammals, 80 species of amphibians and reptiles and an amazing 300 species of butterflies reside in the region. Contained in this list are four wildcat species including the endangered jaguarandi and ocelot. This wildlife attracts thousands of tourists and birders every year providing an important boost to the border's economy.
Unfortunately, many of these species are threatened. There are more endangered species along the border than anywhere else in the United States. Sixty-seven (67) vertebrate species are considered endangered or threatened. This situation exists because much of the species' habitat is threatened by agricultural, urban, and industrial development.
Since the early 1900's, approximately 95 percent of native Tamaulipan brushland in the Lower Rio Grande Valley has been cleared for agricultural and urban needs. Remaining habitat, along with productive farmland, continues to disappear at an alarming pace due to on-going urbanization. Audubon believes that both farmland and habitat should be preserved to protect the species residing along the U.S./Mexico border and provide for human needs.
*.This section is based on various works: Jahrsdoerfer, S.E. and Leslie, Jr.
D.M. Tamaulipan Brushland of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas:
Description, Human Impacts, and Management Options.U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Biological Report 88(36). Nov. 1988; The Wildlife Corridor: Protecting Habitat
in South Texas: Acquisition Update. Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife
Refuge. Mar. 1994.
The Rio Grande Valley Chamber of Commerce. The Rio Grande Valley of Texas:
Metro Facts. Weslaco. 1990
Today, the situation described a century ago has changed immensely. Continued growth, resource consumption, and industrialization obligate the communities of the Lower Rio Grande to reexamine its capacity for growth as well as the current path of development. The rapid growth of the past has had a significant impact on the region's natural resources. The lack of planning, investment, and sufficient commitment to protecting the Basin's resources has already contributed to much of this impact.
Tamaulipas has also lost its share of native habitat to agriculture. Approximately, 2.4 million acres were cleared between 1950 and 1980 for agricultural development, canal construction and inundation due to reservoir expansion12.
While widespread cultivation in the Valley took place early in the century, the agricultural industry in Tamaulipas did not reach comparable levels until the late 1960's. Intensification of agriculture resulted from Mexico's entry into the Green Revolution which transformed and modernized agricultural practices. This transformation resulted in increased pesticide and fertilizer applications, mechanization, irrigation and use of new seeds.
From 1966 to 1981, Tamaulipas placed over one million acres of cropland under irrigation; much of this land had been pristine habitat. Around 914,000 acres of this cropland is located in the northern zone of Tamaulipas13.
Although most of the Valley was initially cleared for agriculture, the recent urban growth has also impacted habitat. A majority of the population in Hidalgo and Cameron counties now live in urban settings. As of 1981, Hidalgo county's urban environment was increasing by approximately 1000 acres per year.
Northeastern Tamaulipas has also experienced rapid urbanization. In 1930, 62.5 percent of the population of Tamaulipas lived in rural areas. By 1978, over two-thirds of the state had become urban with a large percentage of this population living in the border municipalities of Matamoros, Reynosa, and Rio Bravo14.
As the border's urban population expands, so too will demands for land increase as more shopping malls, trailer parks, paved city streets and colonias are built. This understandable demand will surely result in further loss of habitat and farmland.
Water rights in Texas for the Rio Grande's water are already allocated and no new rights will be offered. Estimates for the Lower Rio Grande Valley predict that municipal and industrial water needs will grow to 180,000 acre-feet by the year 2000. This demand will then rise to 290,000 by 2020 and eventually reach 400,000 by 204015.
Irrigation is presently the largest user of water. However, urban water demands are increasing. Projections show that municipal water demands in the Lower Rio Grande Valley will proportionately increase from 10.5 percent of the total water to 27.2 percent by 2040. Agricultural demand is expected to drop from 88.4 percent to 70.41 percent during the same period16.
In the northern zone of Tamaulipas over 7,500 kilometers of irrigation and drainage canals feed Mexico's agriculture industry. The irrigation districts were originally designed to support 220,000 hectares but total acreage has exceeded this level. The tremendous growth of irrigation has resulted in water shortages, salinization, erosion and distribution problems17.
A joint 1994 U.S./Mexico study, the Rio Grande Toxics Substances Study, took a snapshot survey of the Rio Grande and its tributaries. The agencies involved in the study analyzed water, sediment and fish tissue. Researchers found chemicals exceeded screening levels in both the river and in the tributaries. Chemicals found included toluene, lead, arsenic, chromium and mercury. Heavy metals and pesticides were also found in fish tissue samples.
Other studies have found elevated levels of fecal contamination in the river. This contamination comes from the millions of gallons of untreated or partially treated wastewater that enter into the Rio Grande watershed daily. In Reynosa, a series of lagoons, which serve almost 75 percent of the population, provide primary treatment for approximately 19 million gallons of municipal wastewater . Effluent from the lagoons eventually drain into the Rio Grande. However, even the treated discharge contains high counts of coliform bacteria18. Matamoros discharges around 15 million gallons of untreated wastewater per day into open sewers which eventually ends up in coastal wetlands and the Gulf of Mexico.
Added to concerns about industrial and municipal pollution are concerns about pesticides and fertilizers. Pesticide use in the Lower Rio Grande Valley is twenty times greater than the state average. In Tamaulipas, several highly toxic chemicals remain in use.
The above issues suggest that the Basin's citizens must refocus on how resources are used if they want to preserve the remaining habitat and prevent additional environmental degradation.
11. Purdy, P. Agricultural, Industrial and Urban Development in Relation to the
Eastern White-winged Dove. Master's Thesis. Colorado St. Univ. 1983.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.: 47
14. Ibid: 90
15. Environmental Assessment , Rio Grande Valley Water Conservation Project.
contracted by the Texas Water Commission. vol. 1. March, 1991.
16..Schmandt. J. Water and Development: The Rio Grande/Rio Bravo. LBJ School of
Public Affairs. PRP 1992/93.
17.Purdy:47
18. Purdy:56
The U.S./Mexico border region has been growing steadily, at times rapidly, throughout the twentieth century. This growth has caused significant changes in the Lower Rio Grande Basin. This article will focus on some of the important demographic patterns for the Basin.
According to the 1990 U.S. Census, 701,888 persons live in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The population of Northeastern Tamaulipas surpassed 776,00 as of 1990. These figures are based upon the official censuses of the United States and Mexico. It should be noted that many critics feel that the border population has been undercounted. One estimate holds that two million people live along both sides of the Lower Rio Grande border, 500,000 more than official census counts.
The Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas can be described as having certain characteristics: Hispanic, young, poor, under educated, underserved and growing. As a result of high poverty, the Valley is frequently listed as one of the poorest communities in the United States. In contrast, the major border municipalities of Tamaulipas are better off economically and socially relative to the remainder of Tamaulipas and Mexico.
The Valley of Texas quickly evolved as an agricultural center. Immigrants came from both the Midwest of the United States and the interior of Mexico to work in this sector. The population of Hidalgo county more than doubled from 6,837 in 1900 to 13,728 in 1910, jumping to 38,110 by 1920, and incredibly to 77,004 by 1930 as agriculture flourished. During the same period (1990-1930), Cameron county grew from 16,095 to 77,572.
Mexican municipalities directly across the border remained comparatively quiet during the first thirty years of the century. However, this situation changed after World War II as greater numbers of immigrants moved to the border in search of opportunities. One catalyst stimulating this migration was the Bracero Program. The program, which lasted from 1942 until 1964, resulted from an agreement between the United States and Mexico to meet U.S. labor needs. The agreement gave Mexican citizens the right to legally work in the United States.
Matamoros grew by 11 percent, and Reynosa by 13.4 percent, during the first decade of the Bracero Program. Sizable population growth actually began in the 1930's, but the rate accelerated during the program's tenure. In 1930, Matamoros had a population of 24,955 people, while Reynosa's population amounted to 12,346. One decade later the population of Matamoros leaped to 54,136 with Reynosa's growing to over 23,000.
After the Bracero Program ended, many Bracero workers returned to Mexico, with some choosing to settle along the Mexican side of the border.6 Following the suspension of the Bracero agreement, the relative rate of growth in Mexico declined despite absolute numerical increases. For instance, from 1980 to 1990 population growth rates in Matamoros and Reynosa respectively fell to 3.5 and 3.2 percent although total population continued to rise.
Much of the continued growth can be linked to the Border Industrialization Program (BIP), commonly known as the maquiladora industry. The BIP, which started in 1964, evolved from policies of the Mexican federal government to industrialize its northern border and provide Mexican citizens with employment opportunities. In Matamoros, maquiladora employment increased from 400 employees in 1967 to over 38,000 by 1994. Today, maquiladoras employ over a third of Matamoros' economically active population.
The border region of Mexico has experienced some of the fastest declines in fertility rates in Mexico with the exception of Mexico City. The pace of decline increased during the 1970's after Mexico instituted new family planning policies. For example, fertility fell 31 percent from 1971 to 1979 along the Mexican border region. Crude birth rates in Tamaulipas dropped from 40.1 births per 1,000 persons in 1970 to 30 per 1,000 by 1990. Crude birth rates in Matamoros and Reynosa also fell from around 38 in 1970 to respectively 33.4 and 34.4 by 19907.
Rough growth patterns can be derived from past fertility, mortality and migration trends. Populations increase or decrease based on the number of births and deaths plus the net difference between out-migration and in-migration. Information for the basin exhibits a slowing of fertility rates, but a sizable in-migration.
In Cameron and Hidalgo counties, median ages were respectively 27.4 and 26 in 19908. Across the river in Matamoros and Reynosa over a third of the population is under age 14. This age structure signifies that a large number of young men and women will continue to enter into the reproductive stage. For instance, in the 1980's the total number of women in reproductive ages, living in Cameron and Hidalgo, grew 46 and 53 percent compared to total population growth of 24 and 35.4 percent9. This increase will create momentum for sustained population growth.
5. Tuiran, R. Households and Emigration in the Northern Border. The Case of
Reynosa in Weeks and Ham-Chande, eds. Demographic Dynamics of the U.S.-Mexico
Border. The University of Texas at El Paso. 1982.
6. Zenteno Quintero. R.M. and Cruz Pineiro, R.C. A Geographic Definition of the
Northern Border of Mexico. in Weeks and Ham-Chande, eds. Demographic Dynamics of
the U.S.-Mexico Border. The University of Texas at El Paso. 1982.
7 Pan American Health Organization. US-Mexico Border Health Statistics. El Paso.
Dec. 1991.
8. UT Texas/Mexico Border County Statistics. 1994.
9. Chan, L. and Warner, D.C. Maternal and Child Health on the US/Mexico Border.
Special Project. LBJ School of Public Affairs. University of Texas, Austin.
1987.
10 Urbina, M. Family Planning in the Border Region of Mexico in Weeks and Ham-Chande. op. cit.
The Project is conducting research on changes in natural resource use and growth through several activities. Project objectives include: collecting information on demographic and natural resources; examining how growth affects natural resources; identifying quality of life issues, and; exchanging ideas on sustainable development.
While the project is investigating how changing demographic factors affect resources in the Lower Rio Grande Basin, it recognizes that choices about the environment are closely related to changes in socioeconomic relationships. The project acknowledges, however, that absolute population growth is important given that more people lead to increased demands for economic and natural resources. This can be seen in the tremendous growth of housing, schools and roads in the border region.
However, certain decisions and policies - whether at the individual or community level - can have serious impact on the environment regardless of the total number of people involved. Consider that it only takes one individual to dump engine oil in a lake or trash in a park to degrade our environment. Certainly, if more people repeat this behavior, the damage will be multiplied. It is important to examine economic issues because the chosen path of economic development causes some of the most important stresses on environmental resources. Take the case of the agricultural development. The growth of the Lower Rio Grande Valley and Tamaulipas into an agricultural centers resulted in massive clearing of native Tamaulipan brushland2. Economic policies which promoted industrial growth along the border, without sufficient commitment to infrastructure necessary to prevent pollution of the border environment, has seriously degraded water quality in the Lower Rio Grande Basin.
These brief examples demonstrate that border communities must look not only at population size, but equally examine how human relationships affect the environment. Audubon will use the PEF research to assist in this process. Research findings will help strengthen Audubon's educational programs and outreach as well as support the on-going mission of creating sustainable communities.
1. World Commission on Environment and Development. Our Common Future. 1987.
2. Tamaulipan brushland is the dense and thorny scrub brush characteristic of
South Texas & Northeastern Tamaulipas.
Through active participation and discussion, IYA students gain a deeper understanding of the events that shaped the patterns of growth and development in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and how these events relate to water quality and quantity, health, agriculture, and poverty. At the end of the year, students are more able to problem-solve, plan for the future, and someday as community leaders affect positive change.
In suggesting shared solutions, the group has largely focused on environmental education for younger children: specifically programs designed to introduce natural concepts, native species and habitats of the Lower Rio Grande Valley area. IYA students also teach about conservation concepts like carrying capacity, looking at the limiting factors of growth and consumption and how these affect local species. Growth is presented as human numbers, urban development, industrial development or agricultural expansion. Through the Alliance, students are not only better-equipped to deal with the pressing environmental issues of the future, but also to share this information with friends and family, expanding attention and action on local environmental concerns.
Audubon believes that planning for sustainable long-term use of environmental resources, on both sides of the Rio Grande, is important for the welfare and quality of life of border communities. We want to protect the diverse natural resources of this region, while improving the quality of that environment for current as well as future generations. Contact us to discuss any of the issues raised by this report, or get on our mailing list for future publications on resource issues.
Contact David Berger via email: dberger1@hotmail.com
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