Nature Divided, Scientists United: US–Mexico Border Wall Threatens Biodiversity and Binational Conservation

Peters, Robert; Ripple, William J.; Wolf, Christopher; Moskwik, Matthew; Carreón-Arroyo, Gerardo; Ceballos, Gerardo; Córdova, Ana; Dirzo, Rodolfo; Ehrlich, Paul R.; Flesch, Aaron D.; List, Rurik; Lovejoy, Thomas Ε.; Noss, Reed F.; Pacheco, Jesús; Sarukhán, José; Soulé, Michael E.; Wilson, Edward O.; Miller, Jennifer R. B.

doi:10.1093/biosci/biy063

Cited by 53 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…However, the ecological implications of these barriers have not been investigated on a global scale. The construction of such barriers can disturb or destroy habitats, fragment populations, prevent dispersal and migration, and directly or indirectly increase mortality via entanglement, poaching, and predation ( 10 , 12 – 14 , 39 , 40 ). For example, border security fencing in Central Asia is likely to be impeding ungulate migrations ( 11 , 41 ), while recently erected razor-wire security fencing along the Slovenia–Croatia border has increased mortality in herons and ungulates ( 42 ).…”

Section: Border Barriers and Conservation Under Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, socioeconomic factors such as governance, corruption, and conflict frequency are important predictors of wildlife population trends and the effectiveness of conservation efforts ( 6 – 9 ). Political borders, too, have important conservation implications where they fragment policy and legislation across species ranges ( 10 ) or where they present physical barriers to movement ( 11 – 14 ). Here, we use ensemble niche modeling to investigate climate-induced biodiversity change in the context of these two key human considerations: socioeconomic factors of relevance for biodiversity conservation and the political borders that circumscribe and delineate their influence.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Global inequities and political borders challenge nature conservation under climate change

Titley

Butchart

Jones

et al. 2021

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Underlying sociopolitical factors have emerged as important determinants of wildlife population trends and the effectiveness of conservation action. Despite mounting research into the impacts of climate change on nature, there has been little consideration of the human context in which these impacts occur, particularly at the global scale. We investigate this in two ways. First, by modeling the climatic niches of terrestrial mammals and birds globally, we show that projected species loss under climate change is greatest in countries with weaker governance and lower Gross Domestic Product, with loss of mammal species projected to be greater in countries with lower CO2 emissions. Therefore, climate change impacts on species may be disproportionately significant in countries with lower capacity for effective conservation and lower greenhouse gas emissions, raising important questions of international justice. Second, we consider the redistribution of species in the context of political boundaries since the global importance of transboundary conservation under climate change is poorly understood. Under a high-emissions scenario, we find that 35% of mammals and 29% of birds are projected to have over half of their 2070 climatic niche in countries in which they are not currently found. We map these transboundary range shifts globally, identifying borders across which international coordination might most benefit conservation and where physical border barriers, such as walls and fences, may be an overlooked obstacle to climate adaptation. Our work highlights the importance of sociopolitical context and the utility of a supranational perspective for 21st century nature conservation.

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Section: Border Barriers and Conservation Under Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Global inequities and political borders challenge nature conservation under climate change

Titley

Butchart

Jones

et al. 2021

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…The U.S.-Mexico border is a region of significant biological and cultural diversity (1) that has increasingly received international attention due to the humanitarian crisis and the increase in policies to militarize the border region, including the proposed building of a border wall. Researchers working in the U.S.-Mexico border region feel the effects of such policies on their ability to conduct scientific research (2). Policies affecting border regions can restrict access to areas and therefore reduce scientists' ability to collect comprehensive data, such as are necessary for conducting biodiversity inventories (3,2).…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Researchers working in the U.S.-Mexico border region feel the effects of such policies on their ability to conduct scientific research (2). Policies affecting border regions can restrict access to areas and therefore reduce scientists' ability to collect comprehensive data, such as are necessary for conducting biodiversity inventories (3,2). U.S. border policies are also among factors that influence exchange rates which affect the funding Mexican scientists receive when participating in collaborative grants, such as those awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) (4).…”

Section: Main Textmentioning

confidence: 99%

Caught in the middle – research in the U.S.-Mexico border region

Edwards¹,

Capistrán²,

Traphagen³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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The U.S.-Mexico border is a region of significant biological and cultural diversity that is of interest to scientists from a wide variety of disciplines. It is also an area of humanitarian crisis and contentious politics. U.S. and Mexican researchers who conduct fieldwork on both sides of the border are faced with ethical and logistical challenges in the course of their daily work. To better understand these complex dynamics, we review survey results that provide a window into the relationship between recent U.S. border policy and the attitudes and behavior of researchers working in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Researchers are faced with challenges ranging from difficulty in obtaining permits and accessing lands in border regions, to fear and intimidation along the militarized zones. Furthermore, in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, the research community is left caught in the middle when their work intersects with civil and human rights.

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“…Although each of these reviews is concerned with the costs and benefits of one type of exclusion fencing, it could reasonably be assumed that similar ecological costs and benefits may be found in all other forms of exclusion fencing. Other forms of exclusion fence have been used stop the spread of species (McKnight, 1969) and disease (Taylor & Martin, 1987), hold livestock species that cannot be held by standard (simple or less restrictive) livestock fences (Webb et al ., 2009), stop the movement of wildlife onto roadways (Bissonette & Rosa, 2012), and control human movement rather than wildlife (Linnell et al ., 2016; Pokorny et al ., 2017; Peters et al ., 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of exclusion fencing on target and non‐target fauna: a global review

2020

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Exclusion fencing is a common tool used to mitigate a variety of unwanted economic losses caused by problematic wildlife. While the potential for agricultural, ecological and economic benefits of pest animal exclusion are often apparent, what is less clear are the costs and benefits to sympatric non‐target wildlife. This review examines the use of exclusion fencing in a variety of situations around the world to elucidate the potential outcomes of such fencing for wildlife and apply this knowledge to the recent uptake of exclusion fencing on livestock properties in the Australian rangelands. In Australia, exclusion fences are used to eliminate dingo (Canis familiaris dingo) predation on livestock, prevent crop‐raiding by emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae), and enable greater control over total grazing pressure through the reduction of macropods (Macropodidae) and feral goats (Capra hircus). A total of 208 journal articles were examined for location, a broad grouping of fence type, and the reported effects the fence was having on the study species. We found 51% of the literature solely discusses intended fencing effects, 42% discusses unintended effects, and only 7% considers both. Africa has the highest proportion of unintended effects literature (52.0%) and Australia has the largest proportion of literature on intended effects (34.2%). We highlight the potential for exclusion fencing to have positive effects on some species and negative effects on others (such as predator exclusion fencing posing a barrier to migration of other species), which remain largely unaddressed in current exclusion fencing systems. From this review we were able to identify where and how mitigation strategies have been successfully used in the past. Harnessing the potential benefits of exclusion fencing while avoiding the otherwise likely costs to both target and non‐target species will require more careful consideration than this issue has previously been afforded.

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Nature Divided, Scientists United: US–Mexico Border Wall Threatens Biodiversity and Binational Conservation

Cited by 53 publications

References 2 publications

Global inequities and political borders challenge nature conservation under climate change

Global inequities and political borders challenge nature conservation under climate change

Caught in the middle – research in the U.S.-Mexico border region

Impacts of exclusion fencing on target and non‐target fauna: a global review

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