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[EN] An 'oasis' signifies a refugium of safety, recovery, relaxation, fertility, and productivity in an inhospitable desert, a sweet spot in a barren landscape where life-giving water spills forth from the Earth. Remarkable mythological congruencies exist across dryland cultures worldwide where oases or 'arid-land springs' occur. In many places they also provide specialised habitats for an extraordinary array of endemic organisms. To inform their management, and maintain their integrity, it is essential to understand the hydrogeology of aquifers and springs. Gravity-fed vs artesian aquifers; actively recharged vs fossil aquifers, and sources of geothermal activity are important concepts presented here. There consequences for oases of sustainable and unsustainable groundwater extraction, and other examples of effective conservation management. Oases are archetypes for human consciousness, habitats that deserve protection and conservation, and a lingua franca for multicultural values and scientific exchange. We represent an international Fellowship of the Spring seeking to encompass and facilitate the stewardship of oases and aquifers through improved knowledge, outreach, and governance.

Worldwide, groundwater overdraft is one issue faced in urban and rural environments impacting water supply. Expansion of irrigated agriculture, changes in consumption habits, population growth, and urbanization are some causes of increased water consumption. In Mexico, 157 of 657 aquifers are overexploited, and 50 are affected by seawater intrusion in coastal areas. Considering that Mexico relies on groundwater, it is urgent to examine policies and programs to reduce groundwater extraction, create and enforce adequate quantity and quality standards, and develop a portfolio of alternatives to increase groundwater recharge. Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR), using reclaimed water and stormwater, is a tool that can be implemented to augment water recharge in overexploited aquifers. MAR helps to provide water supply for human activities, agriculture, environmental services and is a tool for adaptation to climate change in semi-arid regions of Mexico. In this research, I present an overview of water recharge projects that have been conducted in Mexico in the last 20 years, their methods for recharge, water sources, geographical distribution, and the main results obtained for each project. This research follows a three-article dissertation format. The main body of this dissertation focuses on Appendixes 1, 2, and 3. I conducted three field trips, phone interviews, and online surveys to gather the data used in this research. The information collected was organized and analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods. Appendix 1. An overview of Managed Aquifer Recharge in Mexico and its legal framework focuses on describing the type of MAR projects that have been designed in the last 20 years, the method used for recharge, their primary outcomes, and limitations. In addition, the opportunities and barriers that operators of these MAR projects face were analyzed and discussed. The main finding of this section of the study identifies that, beyond the technical issues that MAR