The Record of Decision for the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area Approved Resource Management Plan (ARMP) was signed on July 30, 2019. 

The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) 

The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (SPRNCA) was created to “conserve, protect and enhance the riparian area and the aquatic, wildlife, archaeological, paleontological, scientific, cultural, educational, and recreational resources of the conservation area.”  The area was given formal protection in 1988 when it was designated by the United States Congress as the nation’s first Riparian National Conservation Area.  It is now a signature component of the BLM’s National Conservation Land System, a system of conserved public lands spanning 30 million acres nationwide. The SPRNCA is located in Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, and includes 40 miles of the upper San Pedro River, which flows north from the U.S.-Mexico border near Palominas to St. David near Benson. 

An important riparian area, the San Pedro River flows through the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts. This ribbon of green, composed of riparian habitat and surrounding grasslands, provides an important migratory bird corridor.  More than100 species of breeding birds and 250 species of migrant and wintering birds depend on this invaluable habitat. The San Pedro RNCA was formally designated as the nation’s first Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy in 1995 and Arizona Audubon reaffirmed that designation in 2013.

The river’s stretch is also home to 84 species of mammals, 14 species of fish, and 41 species of reptiles and amphibians.  This diversity of wildlife presents an incredible watchable wildlife viewing area. The San Pedro River nourishes this ribbon of life in the RNCA. Numerous threats to the health of the river include urban development, drought, and contaminants from upstream in Mexico. The National Riparian Service Team concluded in their 2012 report that “Pumping of groundwater that serves as the lifeblood for the San Pedro River and its tributaries poses significant threats to its long-term function and sustainability.”

Contact Information

For more information about the SPRNCA, please contact the BLM Tucson Field Office at 520-258-7200, or  [email protected]. 

BLM Tucson Field Office 

3201 E. Universal Way

Tucson, AZ 85756

fax: 520-258-7238

 San Pedro RNCA

Photo: Jim Mahoney, BLM