US Border Issues Threaten Wildlife
Wall Between Mexico and the US Hampers Endangered Species Protection
May 5, 2008
Conservationists and scientists are united in challenging the extension of the US-Mexico border wall across some remote sections of the southwest. The Bush administration has waived more than 30 environmental and land management laws in the rush to get the wall built. Several critically endangered species which regularly travel between the US and Mexico are likely to be negatively affected.
Diverse Habitat
The borderland between the US and Mexico includes grasslands, mountains and desert habitat which supports a diverse range of wildlife. The Lower Rio Grande Valley alone hosts 17 endangered or threatened species. Ensuring the free movement of critically endangered species between Mexico and the US will have important impacts on breeding and genetic diversity for those animals. Meanwhile, the Bush administration can only cite a reduction in trash as positive environmental impact.
Sonoran Pronghorn Antelope
Sonoran pronghorns (Antilocapra Americana sonoriensis) in Arizona are just beginning to recover from near extinction as a result of the severe drought of 2002. Despite the knowledge that the species is seriously affected by human activity, surveillance towers will be placed in the middle of the Cabeza Prieta reserve, the only Sonoran pronghorn range in the US. This is likely to inhibit breeding and may eventually result in the extinction of this pronghorn antelope.
Ocelot
With only about 90 ocelots(Felis pardis) left in South Texas, genetic exchange between these animals and the Mexican population is critical for the survival of the species. The huge spotlights used to illuminate sections of the wall are also believed to be a danger to the species. to In addition, the wall would cut off access to water for animals in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Reserve where the ocelot is found.
Jaguar
The jaguar (Panthera onca) has been federally listed as endangered since 1997. The Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project, having confirmed the presence of these cats in Arizona, has been monitoring jaguar activity in the area since then. Like the ocelot, much of the population lives in Mexico. Separating them may spell the end of the jaguar’s existence in the US.
Lesser long-nosed bats
While there is some debate as to whether the lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris curosoae yerbabuena) should be listed as endangered given that large populations were missed in the early '80s, there is consensus that the species is vulnerable. Most of its US population is found in just two places. One of them is Cabeza Prieta. Disturbance during construction and the long term impacts of high tech surveillance equipment on the bats’ hunting are of concern here.
In addition to these species there is potential for negative impact on others such as desert bighorn sheep, and desert pupfish, Mexican spotted owl and Southwestern willow flycatcher, among others. The wall, a rushed effort to deal with a longstanding problem, may result in creating more problems than it solves.
