Wildlife and Border Policy

One-quarter of the 1,950 mile U.S.-Mexico border lies within public lands. This includes hundreds of miles within the National Park system alone, running through such national treasures as Big Bend National Park and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

Many imperiled species depend upon borderland habitat for their continued existence. In Arizona alone, the Border Patrol estimates that 39 species protected or proposed to be protected under the Endangered Species Act are already being affected by its operations.

Much of this country’s most spectacular wildlife, including jaguars, ocelots, wolves, and hundreds of bird species, depend upon protected public lands along the border for migration corridors between countries.

Illegal border crossings and enforcement activities along the border are placing a tremendous burden on federal land management agencies and causing long-term damage to natural and cultural resources. And, the recently enacted Secure Fence Act would require the construction of a double-layer, reinforced wall along large sections of the southern border, stretching from just outside San Diego all the way to Brownsville, Texas, less than 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.

One piece of the wall would cover almost 350 miles, virtually the entire length of the California-Arizona border with Mexico. The effects of large scale border wall construction on wildlife, clean water, clean air, and human health and safety could be serious and lasting.

In the Borderlands Project

In the Borderlands is a joint project with the International League of Conservation Photographers, with support from Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club and the Felidae Foundation. This video highlights the impacts of the border wall the US is building along its southern border. Learn more about this project.


 

Border Legislation

Defenders of Wildlife is working to make sure comprehensive immigration reform and border security legislation includes protections for fragile riparian and desert ecosystems and wildlife along our borders.
Learn more about our border legislation work >>

"On the Line" Report

  • On the Line
     Read our in-depth report on what’s at stake along the Arizona-Mexico border.
  • En el Limite
    Lea nuestro extensivo reporte acerca de los retos que se enfrentan en la frontera Arizona-México.

Border Symposium and Workshop

Defenders of Wildlife and the Wildlands Project assembled a diverse group of interested stakeholders for a series of meetings – a two-day symposium in March 2005 and day-long workshops in October 2006 and October 2007– to examine border impacts and make sound, science-based recommendations for addressing them.

Places at Risk

Many federal lands would be adversely affected by a border wall.

Species at Risk

Many species of animals depend on the ability to cross the border between Mexico and the U.S. The following imperiled species would be affected.

Additional Resources

A Barrier to our Shared Environment. The Border Fence between the United States and Mexico
Una barrera a nuestro ambiente compartido. El muro fronterizo entre México y Estados Unidos
Published by: SEMARNAT (Environmental Department in Mexico) and El Colegio de la Frontera Norte

Summary: This book aims to redirect the debate over the border fence to a level where science and information are preeminent. By documenting the environmental impacts of the border fence, this book aims to promote holistic and long term analysis. Ultimately, it should serve as a facilitator of binational dialogue between the governments of the United States and Mexico, in a spirit of collaboration that will enable us to avoid the foreseeable damages to the ecosystems both countries share.

The book can be downloaded from the web in Spanish or English.