Research Interests & Background
Osvel Hinojosa-Huerta is interested in bird conservation with emphasis on coastal and wetland areas, and in evaluating the effectiveness of conservation mechanisms, restoration actions and environmental policy decisions. His research has been centered in assessing the response of bird populations to riparian and wetland restoration, studying the long-term effects of drought and instream flow reductions on bird communities, and in identifying conservation needs and opportunities for marsh birds in the Colorado River delta. He was the Director of the Water and Wetlands Program for Pronatura Noroeste in Mexico, where he led the efforts to restore the Colorado River delta for over 20 years, including the restoration of river flows and the facilitation of binational negotiations between Mexico and the US for the Colorado River. Currently he is leading efforts to create capacity for shorebird conservation along the Pacific Flyway from Mexico to Chile, supporting emerging leaders from Latin America through a fellowship program at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. He obtained a BSc in Biochemical Engineering and Marine Sciences from ITESM Campus Guaymas and a Ph.D. in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Arizona.
Selected Colorado River Publications & Presentations
Publications
Hinojosa-Huerta, O. and Y. Carrillo-Guerrero. 2010. La Cuenca Binacional del R铆o Colorado. In: Las Cuencas Hidrogr谩ficas de M茅xico, diagn贸stico y priorizaci贸n. H. Cotler 脕valos, ed. Instituto Nacional de Ecolog铆a, M茅xico, D.F., pp 180-187.
Hinojosa-Huerta, O., S. DeStefano, and W. Shaw. 2001. Abundance and distribution of the Yuma Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris yumanensis) in the Colorado River delta, Mexico. Journal of Arid Environments 49:171-182.
Hinojosa-Huerta, O., J. Garc铆a-Hern谩ndez, Y. Carrillo-Guerrero, and E. Zamora-Hern谩ndez. 2007. Hovering over the Alto Golfo: the status and conservation of birds from the Rio Colorado to the Gran Desierto. In: Dry Borders:聽 Great Natural Reserves of the Sonoran Desert. R.S. Felger, B. Broyles, eds. Salt Lake City, Utah. University of Utah Press, pp 383-407.
Hinojosa-Huerta, O., R. Guzm谩n-Olachea, J. Butr贸n-M茅ndez, J.J. Butr贸n-Rodr铆guez, and A. Calvo-Fonseca. 2013. Status of marsh birds in the wetlands of the Colorado River delta, Mexico. Ecological Engineering 59: 7-17.
Hinojosa-Huerta, O., H. Iturribarr铆a-Rojas, E. Zamora-Hern谩ndez, and A. Calvo-Fonseca. 2008. Densities, species richness, and habitat relationships of the avian community in the Colorado River, Mexico. Studies in Avian Biology 37: 74-82.
Hinojosa-Huerta, O., P.L. Nagler, Y. Carrillo-Guerrero, and E.P. Glenn. 2013. The effect of drought on birds and riparian vegetation in the Colorado River delta, Mexico. Ecological Engineering 59: 104-110.
Hinojosa-Huerta, O., E. Soto-Montoya, M. G贸mez-Sapiens, A. Calvo-Fonseca, R. Guzm谩n-Olachea, J. Butr贸n-M茅ndez, J.J. Butr贸n-Rodr铆guez, and M. Rom谩n-Rodr铆guez. 2013. The birds of the Ci茅nega de Santa Clara, a wetland of international importance within the Colorado River delta. Ecological Engineering 59: 61-73.
Nagler P., E. Glenn, O. Hinojosa-Huerta, F. Zamora, and K. Howard. 2008. Riparian vegetation dynamics and evapotranspiration in the riparian corridor in the delta of the Colorado River, Mexico. Journal of Environmental Management 88: 864-878.
Nagler, P.L., O. Hinojosa-Huerta, E.P. Glenn, J. Garc铆a-Hern谩ndez, R. Romo, C. Curtis, A.R. Huete, and S.G. Nelson. 2005. Regeneration of native trees in the presence of invasive saltcedar in the Colorado River delta, Mexico. Conservation Biology 19: 1842-1852.
Pitt, J., E. Kendy, K. Schlatter, O. Hinojosa-Huerta, K. Flessa, P.B. Shafroth, Jorge Ram铆rez-Hern谩ndez, P. Nagler, and E.P. Glenn. 2017. It takes more than water: Restoring the Colorado River Delta. Ecological Engineering 106: 629-632.
Presentations
鈥淣ew trajectories for binational restoration partnerships: science-based and diplomacy mechanisms for the restoration of the Colorado River delta鈥� co-presented with Jennifer Pitt as Keynote Presentation at the 9th World Conference on Ecological Restoration organized by the Society for Ecological Restoration. Virtual Conference. June 23, 2021.
鈥淓l Delta del R铆o Colorado: Un Sitio de Importancia Hemisf茅rica para las Aves鈥� at the organized by the Environmental Protection Agency of Mexicali for the Celebration of the International Day for Biological Diversity. May 20, 2021.
鈥淐ollaborative Conservation Across International Boundaries鈥� at the North American Congress for Conservation Biology 2020. Invited Speaker for the Plenary Session Collaborative Conservation in a Polarized Age of Extinction. Virtual Conference, July 30, 2020.
鈥淏ridging science and decision making for coastal conservation across borders鈥� at the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation 25th Biennial Conference. Invited Speaker for the Plenary Session Environmental Decision Making: How Can Natural and Social Scientists Contribute, and What Can They Expect? Mobile, Alabama, November 4, 2019.
鈥淏inational collaboration to recover riparian habitats and birds in a drought-stressed basin: the case of the Colorado River delta鈥� at the Society of Wetland Scientists Annual Meeting 2018. Invited Speaker in the Symposium Arid Wetlands: Conservation Challenges and Research Needs. Denver, Colorado. May 31, 2018.
鈥淭he response of birds to habitat restoration and environmental flows in the Colorado River Delta, Mexico鈥� at the American Ornithological Society 2018. Invited Speaker in the Symposium Desert Birds in Peril: Research & Conservation Challenges. Tucson, Arizona. April 14, 2018.
鈥淩ole of the Environmental Working Group in the Implementation of Minute 323 of the International Water Treaty鈥� at the Law of the Colorado River Conference 2018. Tucson, Arizona. March 1, 2018.
鈥淐hallenges for the Environment: Can the River Ever Once Again Flow to the Sea?鈥� at the Urban Waterfronts 2018 - The 33rd Annual International Conference on Urban Waterfront Planning, Development and Culture. Invited Speaker in the Symposium The Colorado River in the 21st Century. Yuma, Arizona. January 27, 2018.