They weaken genetic diversity, fragment habitat, and trap animals in deadly floods. “They block wild animals from accessing the food, water and mates they need to survive. “Border walls are death sentences for wildlife and humans alike,” said Amanda Munro of the Southwest Environmental Center, an organization that works to restore and protect native wildlife and habitats. “Families trying to come into this country will be pushed into the desert to die.” “This is not just that they will drive ocelots to extinction,” said Nicol, referring to the critically endangered wild cat found in the Rio Grande Valley. With construction of the wall due to begin in February, people like Nicol fear that the barrier will not only destroy habitat and undermine ecotourism, but also lead to an increasingly deadly border as undocumented immigrants are pushed farther and farther into marginal and dangerous areas.Ī U.S Border Patrol agent is seen near where executive director Marianna Wright walks along the National Butterfly Center on Tuesday, Dec. Customs and Border Protection to a not-for-profit environmental group and seen by The Guardian describes the route and possible components of the project as including a 30-foot-tall concrete and steel wall, roads, and a 150-foot “enforcement zone” where all vegetation will be cleared. The various patches of land that provide refuge for these animals will become “less viable, with less and less places for them to go”.Ī July letter sent from U.S. “Walls have fragmented our habitat,” said Scott Nicol, co-chairman of the Sierra Club Borderlands team. For us, the economic impact is potentially catastrophic.” “Many of the properties people choose to visit to see birds, butterflies and threatened and endangered species are all going to be behind the border wall. “Environmental tourism contributes more than $450 million to Hidalgo and Starr counties,” said Wright, referring to the adjacent counties in the valley. (Delcia Lopez | For the Guardian) Butterflies are seen at at National Butterfly Park on Tuesday Dec.
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December 2022
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