Ngeshwa, ukwakhiwa kokuhlangana okukhulu lapho imisebenzi, izinsizakalo kanye nenani labantu ligxiliwe, kuhlangene nokugawulwa kwamahlathi kanye nesidingo esikhulayo samanzi, kusongela ukomisa impela Ugwadule lwaseChihuahuan.
Isithombe esinaso sento ethile sinquma, ubukhulu becala, isimo sengqondo esisicabangayo ngayo, futhi ngenxa yalokho, impatho esiyinikeza yona. Lapho becabanga ngogwadule, abantu abaningi bathambekele ekuboneni ukukhanya okukhulu, okuyisidina futhi okunokhahlo, kepha uma bekubheka nge-prism, yonke imibala ye-spectrum ibingabonakala ukuthi ixhunywe nokungabonakali emaphethelweni ayo womabili. Umuntu uzwa igama elithi "ugwadule" bese ecabanga izindunduma zesihlabathi ezingapheli eziqhutshwa umoya ongashayeki. Ugwadule: kufana nokuthi "ukulahlwa", "ukungabi nalutho" kanye "nogwadule", "umbuso wabadingisiwe", "umbuso wokoma", "umngcele phakathi kwempucuko nobuqili", amabinzana namagama afingqa imibono evame kakhulu ngalesi sikhala ngakho kubalulekile emlandweni wezwe, imvelo yomhlaba kanye nokulinganisela kwesimo sezulu seplanethi. Njengoba amazwe nezakhamizi zawo zinganakiwe, ingcebo eningi nehlukahlukene abayifihlayo akuvamile ukusolwa.
Noma zakha ingxenye yesithathu yobuso bomhlaba nengxenye yezwe lethu, izingwadule ziphakathi kwezifunda ezingaqondakali futhi ezingabaluleki kangako. IGreat Basin, iMojave, iSonoran, i-Atacama, zibiza izifunda ezinkulu ezomile zezwekazi lethu, kepha iDesert Chihuahuan yiyona ebanzi kakhulu, ehlukahlukene kakhulu, futhi okungenzeka ukuthi ayifundwanga kangako. Lesi sikhala esikhulu siyikhaya lezinto eziphilayo ezahlukahlukene kakhulu: amapokhethi, izindawo ezinotshani, osebeni lwemifula, amaxhaphozi, imihosha kanye nezintaba ezinezihlahla ezakha iziqhingi eziqhingini zezulu. Ngayinye yalezi zinhlayiya ikhulisa izindlela zokuphila ezimangazayo.
Leli hlane laqala ukwakheka eminyakeni eyizigidi ezinhlanu edlule, ePliocene. Namuhla, entshonalanga, isifunda esinamahlathi nesimangelengele seSierra Madre Occidental sisebenzisa amanzi avela emafwini avela oLwandlekazi iPacific, kanti empumalanga iSierra Madre Oriental yenza okufanayo ngamafu asondela eGulf of Mexico, ngoba ngakho-ke imvula emaphakathi yehluka kuphela phakathi kuka-225 kanye no-275 mm ngonyaka. Ngokungafani nezinye izindawo ezomile, imvula enkulu yenzeka ezinyangeni ezifudumele zikaJulayi kuya kuSepthemba, okuthi, kanye nokuphakama kwayo, kube nomthelela ezinhlotsheni zezilwane zasendle ezichuma lapho.
Ubukhulu boGwadule lwaseChihuahuan abukho ngosayizi walo kuphela: I-World Wildlife Fund (WWF) iyinikeza indawo yesithathu emhlabeni ngenxa yokuhlukahluka kwayo, ngoba iyikhaya lama-350 (25%) ezinhlobo eziyi-1,500 ezaziwayo ze-cacti , futhi inokuhlukahlukana okukhulu kwezinyosi emhlabeni. Ngokunjalo, kuhlala izinhlobo ezingaba ngu-250 zezimvemvane, izibankwa eziyi-120, izinyoni ezingama-260 kanye nezilwane ezincelisayo ezingaba ngu-120, futhi kungenye yezingwadule ezimbalwa emhlabeni ezinenqwaba yezinhlanzi, ezinye zazo ezihlala ezindaweni ezingamaxhaphozi ezihlala njalo ICuatro Cienegas, eCoahuila.
Izibalo ziyashaqisa, kepha amasu okusinda adale izinhlobo ezingafani zokuphila angaphezulu kakhulu kwalokho. Cabanga nje: izihlahlana ezifana nombusi (Larrea tridentata) ezingamelana nelanga elishisayo ngaphandle kokuthola ithonsi lamanzi iminyaka emibili; amaxoxo acindezela isigaba sezibungu, noma unoshobishobi, futhi azalwa esekhulile ukuze anganciki emthonjeni wamanzi ukuze azale futhi; izitshalo eziqhuma zishiya njalo lapho lina imvula ziguqula ukukhanya zibe ukudla futhi, ngemuva kwezinsuku, maziziwele ukuze zingalahlekelwa uketshezi olubalulekile; inani lezibankwa ezakhiwa kuphela abesifazane ezizalanayo, noma kunalokho zakhiwe, nge-parthenogenesis ngaphandle kwesidingo sowesilisa ovundisayo; ama-cacti amancane nasendulo akhula egqumeni kuphela emhlabeni, noma izilwane ezihuquzelayo ezinokuzwa kokushisa eduze kwamakhala abo okubavumela ukuba bazingele ebusuku. Le yingxenye encane yalokho esikwaziyo ukuthi ikhona oGwadule lwaseChihuahuan, ingxenye encane yesicubu esibalulekile esimangalisayo, eselukiwe ngaphezu kwezigidi zeminyaka yokuziphendukela kwemvelo kuze kufike ekulinganiseni okuphelele.
Yize kuliqiniso ukuthi izinto zasogwadule ziqinile ngendlela exakile, futhi kuyiqiniso nokuthi izicubu zazo zibucayi kakhulu. Uhlobo oluthile kuthiwa lukhona esifundeni lapho kungekho okunye okwenzeka ngokwemvelo lapho, kanti ugwadule lwaseChihuahuan lunamazinga aphezulu endemism ngenxa yokuhlukaniswa kofuzo ezindaweni eziningi zalo ezinkulu. Lesi sici siyisihlonipho, kepha sibuye siveze ubucayi bento yokuphila ngoba isikhala esishiywe luhlobo olulodwa lapho sinyamalala asinakulungiswa futhi singaba nemiphumela emibi kwabanye. Isibonelo, umnikazi wendawo eSan Luis Potosí anganquma ukuyisebenzisela ukwakha indlu futhi aqede ngokungazi inhlobo efana ne-cactus engavamile Pelecyphora aselliformis unomphela. Ubuchwepheshe buvumele abantu ukuthi baphile, kepha buchithe imvelo, buhlukumeza inethiwekhi yobudlelwano nokubeka engcupheni ukusinda kwabo.
Ngaphezu kokunganaki nokujivaza abantu abaningi maqondana nezingwadule, mhlawumbe ukunwetshwa okukhulu koGwadule lwaseChihuahuan kuye kwavimbela ukwenziwa kwamaphrojekthi wokulawulwa okuphelele nokutadisha. Lokhu kungaba isinyathelo sokuqala esidingekayo ekuxazululeni izinkinga ezinkulu zanamuhla njengokusebenzisa amanzi ngokungenangqondo.
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, imisebenzi yendabuko, njengokufuywa kwezinkomo, ibe nomthelela omubi ehlane ngakho-ke kunesidingo sokukhuthaza izindlela ezanele zokuziphilisa. Njengoba izitshalo zikhula kancane ngenxa yokushoda kwamanzi - kwesinye isikhathi umdolofiya ongamasentimitha amabili uneminyaka engama-300 ubudala-, ukuxhashazwa kwezimbali kufanele kuhloniphe isikhathi esithathayo ukukhiqiza kabusha ngaphambi kokufuneka kwemakethe. Kumele futhi kushiwo ukuthi izinhlobo ezilethwe, njenge-eucalyptus, zibhubhisa izidalwa eziphilayo, njenge-poplar. Konke lokhu kulithinte kakhulu ugwadule, laze lafika ezingeni lokuthi singalahlekelwa amagugu amakhulu nangaphambi kokuba sazi ngobukhona bawo.
Ukuvakasha Ugwadule lwaseChihuahuan kufana nokuntanta olwandle lomhlaba kanye nama-guamis: umuntu uyabona ubukhulu bayo beqiniso futhi obuncane. Impela, ezingxenyeni zeSan Luis Potosí naseZacatecas, izintende ezinkulu nezasendulo zibusa phezu komhlaba, kepha leli hlane livame ukuphakama kombusi, i-mesquite, nezinye izihlahla nezihlahla ezivikela amaqembu amaningi ezitshalo nezilwane. Ukuzimela kwayo kuyabonakala, ngoba umthunzi nezimpande zezihlahla zisekela ukwehluka okumangazayo kwempilo.
Ubuso bala mazwe abukhombisi ngokushesha ingcebo yabo eningi: uma ubonwa emoyeni kubonakala sengathi bayizichasiso zokukhohlwa, ubukhulu bombala wamaminerali baphazanyiswa kungazelelwe ngamabala ohlaza okotshani. Ugwadule lwembula izimfihlo zalo, futhi lokho kwesinye isikhathi kuphela, kulabo abazimisele ukubekezelela ukushisa namakhaza alo, ukuhamba baye kude nalo nokufunda ukuphila ngemithetho yalo. Kanjalo nezakhamizi zokuqala ubukhona bazo obuye bancishiselwa amagama ezindawo: Lomajú, Paquimé, Sierra de los Hechiceros Quemados, Conchos, La Tinaja de Victorio.
Mhlawumbe ukuheha kwazalwa ekukhanyeni okwehlisa ngisho namatshe emzimbeni, kusukela ezinkondlweni ezilula zezakhamizi zawo, iphunga elikhishwa umbusi lapho lina, emoyeni ophusha amafu amahle kakhulu ebusweni bomhlaba, kusukela ekulandeleni okushiywe isikhathi edwaleni, semisindo ezulazula ebusuku, yokuthula okuzwakala ezindlebeni okujwayele ukuduma kwamadolobha noma ukumangala nje okubizwa ngembali, isibankwa, itshe, ibanga, amanzi, umfudlana, umhosha, umoya oshisayo, ishawa. Ukuthakasela kwaphenduka intshisekelo, uthando lwaba ulwazi… nothando lwahluma kulaba abathathu.
