About the Sky Islands-Gila Headwaters Collaborative
Climate Adaptation, Conservation, Research, Education and Access, Stakeholder Collaboration
Project Overview
The University of Arizona Foundation (Arizona) and the University of New Mexico Foundation (UNM) are partnering on a Sky Islands-Gila Headwaters Collaborative in the Sky Islands-Gila Headwaters bioregion of the United States to develop community and ecosystem resilience to land use, species loss, and climate change stressors. Our collaboration aims to cultivate community and ecosystem resilience in the face of challenges such as land use shifts, species depletion, and the impacts of climate change.
This endeavor involves interdisciplinary research and educational programming that spans natural resources, conservation biology, disturbance ecology, climate adaptation, land use planning, forest management, environmental history, ranching, agriculture, ecosystem restoration, stakeholder engagement, and water management. We will work collaboratively with existing networks and organizations to forge innovative solutions that address immediate stressors and foster a sustainable and thriving future for the Sky Islands-Gila Headwaters bioregion.
We will co-create the Collaborative in partnership with Indigenous communities and experts in traditional conservation practices. We will engage students, local communities, governmental and non-governmental organizations, tribal representatives and community-based experts, businesses, land managers, and people from under-represented groups in our project design, research, and monitoring efforts, and pioneering on-the-ground conservation strategies.
Our Mission
Our mission is to understand, cultivate, and sustain the remarkable biodiversity in landscapes of the Sky Islands-Gila Headwaters, securing the natural legacy of this region, forging a sustainable path forward for these interconnected communities and environments.
Our Vision
Our vision is a Collaborative that benefits from and contributes to ongoing conservation work in the Sky Islands–Gila Headwaters Bioregion, structured by a set of priorities for investments in ecosystem connectivity, sustained data collection, access and management, preservation of biodiversity, and healthy human communities integrated with the broader Sky Islands–Gila Headwaters landscape.
Project Goals
Create an ongoing Collaborative that connects physical science, social sciences, and decision-making, helping the Sky Islands-Gila bioregion and associated communities be more resilient in the face of ongoing ecological disturbance and climate change.
To assess and give priority to potential investments, we’ll be focusing on the following categories:
01
Ecosystem connectivity and environmental change
In the context of multiple stressors, ecosystem connectivity provides opportunities for species to migrate to new habitats and adapt to changing conditions.
02
Experience sustained data collection, access, and management
A critical issue for managing towards community and ecosystem resilience is a reliable, accessible long-term monitoring system that can detect changes over time and allow for adaptive responses.
03
Preservation of biodiversity and biotic communities
The Sky Islands and Gila Headwaters are known as hotspots for biodiversity, and represent critical paths for migratory species. Managing for preservation of species and biotic communities requires knowledge of physiological thresholds, adaptive capacity, fire and drought resistance, and a number of other factors.
04
Healthy human communities integrated with the landscape
Human communities are tied to and supported by natural systems. Our efforts to support ecosystems will be approached through the lens of economic and cultural viability of local communities, businesses and organizations.