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.

Congress to Hold Hearings April 28 on Border Wall and Real ID Act Waiver

The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a field hearing titled "Walls and Waivers" in Brownsville, Texas. Details.

Border Wall Fight Goes to the Supreme Court

April 17, 2008 - Congress, public interest groups and law professors file amicus briefs in support of the case.

Bush Administration Suspends Laws

April 1, 2008 - DHS Sec. Chertoff  imposing a blanket waiver of environmental and land management laws along 470 miles of the U.S./Mexico border. Learn more

Map of Waiver Locations

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.

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: Thisbook aimsto 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, thisbook aims to promote holistic and long term analysis. Ultimately,itshould serve asa facilitator ofbinational 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.