Learn from NM watershed advocates how riparian, wetland and upland forest/landscape restoration improve overall watershed function. Natural water shortage is an indicators of overall watershed functionality with important implications for human water use. In our time of increasing aridification watershed restoration is a key element in statewide water management and use. Healthy watersheds are critical not only for clean water for human consumption but also provide essential habitat for wildlife by creating a diverse ecosystem.
New Mexico is undergoing aridification — a permanent, worsening shift in its hydrologic baseline. The state's draft Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan uses the word "drought" throughout, cites a fifty-year projection, and averts its eyes from a collapse that is happening now.