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Nature’s Barrier: How the U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Disrupts Wildlife

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Nature interrupted: Impact of the U.S.-Mexico border wall on wildlife

In the heart of the Sonoran Desert, a modest building stands resilient between San Luis Río Colorado and Sonoyta in northern Mexico. This small restaurant, La Liebre del Desierto, has been a vital refuge for travelers for over two decades. Owned by Elsa Ortiz Ramos, the restaurant offers more than just meals; it provides respite in a harsh landscape dominated by towering saguaro cacti and thorny ocotillo shrubs.

The dedication of Elsa Ortiz Ramos extends beyond her culinary offerings. Every fortnight, she purchases a 5,000-gallon water tank to nourish local wildlife. This water, strategically placed in troughs, sustains bighorn sheep, ocelots, pronghorn, coyotes, deer, and bats, which have lost access to natural water sources.

“The crows come to the house and scream to warn us that there is no more water,” Ortiz Ramos shares. Her words, though poetic, reflect a harsh reality. The Sonoran Desert, spanning parts of Arizona, California, Baja California, and Sonora, is one of the hottest places on Earth, with temperatures soaring to 80.8 degrees Celsius (177 degrees Fahrenheit).

Through narrow steel bollards, lush vegetation around Quitobaquito spring is visible. Agronomist Federico Godínez Leal from the University of Guadalajara notes that this spring, restricted now to the US side due to border wall construction, once supplied water to a vast area. His team’s studies reveal stark differences between the sides, with haunting images of skeletons of wild boar, deer, and bighorn sheep lying on the Mexican soil.

From 2017 to 2021, over 450 miles of border barriers were erected under the US government. These structures, intended to control illegal migration, have had severe ecological impacts. Despite prior scientific warnings, the barriers disrupted animal migration patterns and fragmented ecosystems.

The border, historically marked by concrete obelisks following the Mexican-American War, saw its first urban barriers during 1994’s Operation Gatekeeper. This moved from urban areas to a massive scale post-2006 with the Secure Fence Act, leading to 700 miles of various barriers. The situation escalated significantly during Donald Trump’s presidency, with Executive Order 13767 initiating rapid wall construction.

The environmental toll has been dire. The border wall’s construction disregarded vital environmental regulations, focusing on rapid deployment over ecological preservation. A 2018 Bioscience article warned that wall construction would affect 1,506 native species, including 62 at risk of extinction.

Spanning diverse ecoregions, the wall fragmented habitats and conservation areas, impacting both wildlife and human communities. Traditional cattle ranchers and the Tohono O’odham people, with lands straddling the border, have seen their ways of life disrupted.

Although President Joe Biden halted construction in 2021, unfinished sections and environmental degradation remain. Additional wall construction was approved in October 2023, perpetuating the environmental challenges. Erosion, habitat disruption, and loss of animal populations continue to impact the region severely.

Ecologists like Ganesh Marin Mendez from the University of Arizona have been studying the wall’s impact on biodiversity. Preliminary findings indicate a notable decrease in animal presence near the wall and adjacent highways. Genetic diversity and population movements of species such as ferruginous pygmy owls and desert bighorn sheep are significantly compromised.

Moreover, the wall impedes species’ adaptability to climate change, restricting necessary habitat shifts. Top predators like the Mexican gray wolf face increased isolation, threatening their survival and broader ecosystem health.

Conservationists stress the importance of cross-border collaboration. Initiatives like the Duck Stamp program and efforts to protect migratory species like the monarch butterfly and Brazilian free-tailed bat underscore this need. However, the border wall presents both a physical and symbolic barrier, complicating joint conservation efforts.

Back at Quitobaquito, the spring symbolizes a crucial, yet divided, lifeline for both wildlife and cultural heritage. The territorial split has intensified conservation challenges, forcing local volunteers and organizations like the Maggol Foundation to provide emergency aid. Elsa Ortiz Ramos’s commitment to hauling water through the desert embodies this struggle.

UNESCO’s 2023 request for a collaborative action plan highlights the urgent need to address the border wall’s ecological impacts. As the US presidential campaign revives discussions on wall expansion, the unresolved challenge of human migration continues, emphasizing that barriers affect all but human beings.

This story originally appeared in Knowable Magazine.