Mexico brings back bison 160 years after extinction; 47 animals are restoring the ecosystem

After being absent from the grounds for approximately 160 years, the American bison has made a grand comeback to the landscapes of Coahuila, Mexico. According to a report by AS, the reintroduction of dozens of bison in part of the Chihuahuan Desert is positively impacting the surrounding ecosystem in numerous ways, said the body that is the driving force behind the initiative. The effort, spearheaded by the Fundación Pro Cuatro Ciénegas, represents far more than a symbolic gesture; it is a calculated strategy to heal a devastated ecosystem.In 2025, nearly 50 bison were brought to Cuatrociénegas, a UNESCO-recognized nature reserve in Mexico’s Coahuila state. Renowned for its gypsum dunes and its bright-blue pools of water, the 400,000-hectare habitat is home to several hundred plant and animal species - including multiple flora and fauna that are “critically vulnerable or endangered”, UNESCO warns.A fundamental speciesIn Mexico, American bison lived in the states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and DurangoThe bison's introduction to the protected area run by the foundation is helping to "reactivate the dynamics and the health of an ecosystem," said Gerardo Ruiz Smith, th...