Coahuila, Mexico — The government is working to reestablish the country’s bison population in the grasslands of northern Mexico. A new herd of 44 bison has been introduced to the Don Martín National protected area in Coahuila.
The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources says their reintroduction is essential to strengthen climate resilience, ecosystem regeneration and biodiversity conservation in these iconic ecosystems.
This coordinated effort contributes to the conservation of the species and the restoration of the grasslands it inhabits. The bison come from Rancho El Uno in the Janos Biosphere Reserve in Chihuahua, where Cuenca Los Ojos manages the herd.
This relocation marks a crucial step for conservation in Mexico by expanding the range of the American bison and strengthening the restoration of the Chihuahuan Desert grasslands.
The bison is a keystone species for the regeneration of these ecosystems: it improves soil structure, promotes native vegetation, and is more drought-resistant than cattle.
The formation of this new population is part of a comprehensive strategy to strengthen the regulatory framework and move forward with changing the bison’s category to “special protection”.
The strategy will also implement comprehensive population management that includes herding, recording and selecting individuals to establish new herds, regulate population growth through a utilization rate that allows reducing pressure on pastures and maintaining a healthy herd structure and donate specimens to ranches with suitable conditions to promote the expansion of the species into new territories.
Pedro Álvarez Icaza Longoria, the head of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP), emphasized that “the bison’s expansion demonstrates the value of partnerships between public institutions, civil organizations, and communities.
“Conservation progresses when coordinated, long-term efforts are built hand in hand with the communities and ecosystems they inhabit. The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas reaffirms its commitment to the recognition, respect, and protection of the environmental rights of the Indigenous peoples and communities living in Natural Protected Areas.”
Gerardo Ruiz Smith, Director of the Pro Cuatrociénegas Foundation, celebrated the arrival of the new bison family.
“The Pro Cuatrociénegas Foundation, in partnership with the N’dee/N’nee/Ndé, is opening the doors of the El Santuario Reserve to welcome this herd, which will have ideal conditions to continue expanding the bison population in northern Mexico and regenerating ecosystems. We are honored to be part of this inter-institutional effort.”
Karen Suárez, part of the Cuenca Los Ojos team, said “the Janos population has grown remarkably in recent years. Today we contribute to establishing new herds that will strengthen the conservation of the bison in Mexico.”
This milestone expands the bison’s distribution in Mexico, offering technical and regulatory certainty. This will encourage more landowners to adopt conservation herds and, consequently, restore the bison’s presence in northern Mexico through sustainable efforts. Furthermore, the project makes a positive contribution to biocultural understanding, considering the Indigenous communities that have maintained a millennia-long, balanced relationship with this species.
In addition to contributing to ecological restoration, the return of the bison strengthens the spirit of resilience and resistance of the N’dee/N’nee/Ndé Nation, an indigenous people who are resurging in parallel in the territory and throughout the Chihuahuan Desert, and who find, with this effort, a key symbol to generate anew the connections that restore the integral balance of the region.
