Land-Use and Land-Cover Change in Sonora, Mexico:  Trajectories of Agricultural Intensification and Consequences for Non-Agricultural Ecosystems: Part 2

The objective of this proposed research is to evaluate the causes and on- and off-site consequences of agricultural development in the Yaqui Valley of northwestern Mexico. We analyzed the critical links among agricultural policy and agricultural extent and productivity within the Valley, as they have changed over the last fifty years and continue to change. In addition, remote sensing data were used to evaluate the offsite consequences of these agricultural landuse decisions for land-use and land-cover in the surrounding region, focusing on 1) the expansion of (and use change in the coastal and scrub ecosystems at the edge of the Yaqui Valley) and 2) alteration of native ecosystems as a result of transfers of anthropogenic nitrogen from the Valley.