Water is disappearing from Mexico’s vital desert oasis Cuatro Cienegas

But alfalfa crops and other agricultural activities are also sapping dry the ancient oasis of Cuatro Cienegas, the most important wetland in the Chihuahuan Desert and a geological anomaly that scientists say can help them understand the origin of Earth, climate change and the chances of life on Mars. But since 1985, about 40% of surface pools and lagoons have been lost, the Mexican Institute of Water Technology estimated in a 2023 report. Water extractions from these bodies has increased at least 400% in 25 years, which the institute said is primarily due to an uptick in water concessions and water-reliant crops like alfalfa.