In May 2022, Sky Island Alliance staff joined five other environmental organizations in Sonora, Mexico, for a weekend at the stunningly beautiful Aribabi Conservation Ranch, nestled among cottonwood trees near the Rio Cocospera.
The “Grupo 6″ summit, as we called it, was represented by Watershed Management Group, Borderlands Restoration Network, Cuenca Los Ojos, Naturalia, ProFauna, and Sky Island Alliance. For now, Grupo 6 is an informal collective working to protect the Madrean Sky Islands, but we’re excited to see what we can achieve together.
The idea behind the reunion was to share a common vision for our work in the region. Where are we working? Who are we partnering with? What’s going well?
Sometimes it can be challenging not to focus on the negatives like mines pulling more groundwater, cattle grazing the land bare, and soil washing away every monsoon. But it was refreshing to touch on these issues and then focus on all the positive good we can do.
We juggled possible strategies to meet landscape conservation goals in the region. And while we didn’t yet arrive at a final plan of action, we did share goals of what healthy animal, plant, and human communities look like in the high desert valleys and forested mountains of northern Sonora. Together, as a binational force, our transboundary communities will be stronger and more resilient.
Until the next reunion!
