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<br /> <br />to place a high priority on wetland conservation. As <br />early as 1988, Mexico had joined Canada and the United <br />States in signing the Tripartite Agreement on the Con- <br />servation of Migratory Birds, opening the door to <br />funding from the u.s. North American Waterfowl Con- <br />servation Act. To date, several inventory projects in the <br />delta have received these funds. <br /> <br /> <br />In the past decade, conservation organizations in Mexico <br />and the United States have become increasingly in- <br />volved in efforts to assess threats to the ecosystems of <br />the delta and upper Gulf, and to identify opportunities <br />for protecting and enhancing these resources.ll In 1998, <br />the Colorado River Delta was listed as one of the top <br />ten endangered rivers in North America in an annual <br />press release used to generate political interest by the <br />advocacy group American Rivers. Public agencies, re- <br />source managers, and water users in both countries also <br />have begun to recognize the importance of a conserva- <br />tion agenda for the region. Mexico's National Institute <br />of Ecology (INE) manages the Biosphere Reserve and is <br />promoting the creation of a binational institution <br />charged with sustainable water use in the delta. The In- <br />ternational Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) <br />is convening a "Delta Taskforce." The U.S. Environmen- <br />tal Protection Agency (EP A) International Office has <br />begun funding projects in the border region. New insti- <br />tutions created as part of the North American Free Trade <br />Agreement may also be able to weigh in on delta <br /> <br />issuesP One notable exception to this trend is the u.s. <br />Multi-Species Conservation Program for the Lower <br />Colorado River (MSCP). Participants have been encour- <br />aged - and have refused - to consider the delta region <br />in their investigation of mitigation measures for the <br />lower river habitats.13 <br /> <br />Interest in the delta is likely to increase as U.S. policy <br />makers recognize its value. The delta contains thousands <br />of acres of habitats that have become rare elsewhere in <br />the Colorado basin (Glenn et aI., 1996; Valdes-Casillas <br />et aI., 1998a), and may be the only viable repository for <br />several endangered species. Also, conservation efforts <br />in the delta may prove more productive than elsewhere <br />in the lower basin, and the delta could become a focus <br />for efforts to mitigate the impact of development fur- <br />ther north. In any case, the delta is a key component of <br />the lower Colorado riparian zone, which extends from <br />the Grand Canyon to the Gulf of California. Any viable <br />recovery plan for the river's riparian zone must include <br />the delta, regardless of the international border that <br />divides the region. At some point, U.s. environmental <br />policy may obligate the United States to help protect <br />the delta.14 U.S. water management agencies are directly <br />responsible for the well-being of the delta and northern <br />Gulf fisheries, as the delta ecosystems are almost en- <br />tirely supported by wastewater flows or flood releases <br />the agencies control. <br /> <br />11 The Environmental Defense Fund, Ducks Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, American Rivers, Defenders of Wildlife, the <br />Sonoran Institute, the Pacific Institute, Intercultural Center for the Study of Desert and Oceans (CEDO), and PRONATURA have an ongoing interest in the <br />region. <br />12 See Chapter 4 for a discussion of NAFTA-related institutions. <br />13 MSCP includes representation from the lower basin states, and water and power users. Representatives of environmental organizations resigned from <br />the MSCP in 1998 when the representatives of the states and water users refused to include the delta In the scope of their program. <br />14 For a discussion of U.S. law and environmental policy, see Leaal Mechanisms in Chapter 4. <br /> <br />10 <br />