Rebecca Manzi The US-Mexico border wall is having huge impacts on wildlife with a drastic reduction in animal crossings
@Wildlands Network
A recent study in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution has highlighted the harmful effects of the U.S.-Mexico border wall on wildlife. Wildlands Network and Sky Island Alliance research on animal movement among 20 species caught by 36 cameras along a 100-mile stretch of the border found an acute decline in animal crossing.
Video recorded by the study reveals that 9% of the approaching animals manage to cross over the wall. That is a drop of 86% from the vehicle barrier. Moreover, in the case of some larger animals such as black bears, deer, and mountain lions, the barrier has been an impossible hurdle, completely halting their migration.
The more than 620-mile-long barrier significantly impacts the region’s biodiversity, home to many threatened species like jaguars, ocelots, and the Mexican gray wolf. The nature of the barriers—18- to 30-foot-tall steel bollards, set just 4 inches apart—impedes natural animal movement, limiting them from reaching basic necessities such as food, water, and shelter.
Small openings have helped but are still not enough
To offset these effects, companies have installed small wildlife openings in certain areas. These openings have increased crossing levels for certain animals—such as javelinas, coyotes, and American badgers—by more than 16 times. However, they are still ineffective for big animals and remain too sparse, with only 13 openings along a 70-mile stretch.
Scientists aim to construct additional crossing sites and expand existing ones to secure population connectivity for the animals. It is argued by Myles Traphagen of Wildlands Network that modest increases in gap spaces between bollards on the wall can be of multiple advantages.
Other steps, such as opening four large wildlife corridors in New Mexico, have already been discovered to be effective and are not eroding border security. Traphagen explained that while the border wall has been a bad deterrence to human immigration, it has been a disastrous deterrence to wildlife.
The study highlights the importance of implementing steps that give animals free passage and aid in ensuring biodiversity of the region. Given climate change and habitat fragmentation, giving wildlife appropriate space is an ecological and ethical necessity.
Source: Frontiers / Wildlands Network
