The Bosque
The Bosque
Riparian forests, limited to the land bordering rivers and other water bodies, are relatively rare and highly valuable parts of the Southwestern landscape. Commonly known as “bosque” in New Mexico, they form long, narrow ribbons of green space that provide valuable natural resources as well as critical wildlife habitat in otherwise arid environments.
Despite the fact that they comprise less than 1% of New Mexico’s land area, a large proportion of the state’s plant and animal biodiversity is concentrated in bosque ecosystems. The health of the bosque is closely tied to the overall health of the larger watershed above it and to the river that flows through it.
