Ameca River
| Ameca River | |
|---|---|
| File:Rio Ameca.jpg View of the Ameca River | |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 411: Malformed coordinates value. | |
| Location | |
| Country | Mexico |
| State | Jalisco |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | |
• coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Length | 230 km (140 mi) |
The Ameca River (Spanish: Río Ameca) is a river of some 230 km (140 mi) in length in western Mexico. It originates in the Bosque de la Primavera in Jalisco, 23 km to the west of state capital Guadalajara; flows through the city of Ameca; and then forms the boundary between Jalisco and Nayarit on its way to the Pacific Ocean, where it drains into the Bahía de Banderas at Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. Its main tributaries are the Ahuacatlán and Amatlán de Cañas.
The Ameca has been dammed just north of the town of La Vega, Jalisco, forming a reservoir, the Lago La Vega which extends northward to the town of Teuchitlán.
Fish
[edit | edit source]Several species of fish are only found in the Ameca River basin: the butterfly splitfin, Tequila splitfin, finescale splitfin, banded allotoca, golden skiffia, Amatlan chub, Ameca chub and Ameca shiner. All these are highly threatened.[1][2]
The Tequila splitfin, finescale splitfin and golden skiffia are likely already extinct in the wild; but all three survive in captivity.[3][4][5] The butterfly splitfin and banded allotoca were also thought to be extinct in the wild, but have since been rediscovered.[6][7] The Ameca shiner was once feared entirely extinct, but it too survives in captivity.[3][8] A reintroduction project for the shiner and Tequila splitfin was initiated in 2015.[3]
In recent years, the Ameca River basin has gained recognition for both its ecological importance and the challenges it faces. The river is the main source of drinking water for Puerto Vallarta, but it is increasingly threatened by industrial, agricultural, and urban pollution from upstream communities. To address these concerns, Mexican authorities designated parts of the Sierra Vallejo as a Natural Protected Area in 2024, covering more than 225,000 hectares in Jalisco and Nayarit. Complementary initiatives such as community-led cleanup campaigns, forest restoration projects, and the RIOS river restoration program are working to safeguard water quality, promote sustainable land use, and strengthen climate resilience in the watershed.[9][10][11]
References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ https://pvangels.com/news/7671/sierra-vallejo-rio-ameca-biosphere-reserve
- ^ https://mexlife.com/puerto-vallarta/puerto-vallarta-water-quality-and-supply/
- ^ https://www.fonnor.org/en/project/the-rios-projectriver-restoration-for-climate-change-adaptation/
Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
