The US-Mexico Wall, it’s Borderlands, Wildlife, and People

In 2005, the Department of Homeland Security was granted the authority to waive environmental laws to speed the building of a barrier between the U.S. and Mexico.
Under this waiver, more then 500 miles of wall and fence have been constructed through mostly rural and wilderness areas.
In January 2009, the International League of Conservation Photographers sent a team of world-renowned photographers, with writers, filmmakers and scientists to the borderlands of the United States and Mexico to document the wildlife, ecology, and effect of immigration and the border wall on this landscape. [38 Pictures]

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The 17-member ILCP team spent almost a month traveling the nearly-2000-mile border and captured more than 10,000 images of the region and the impact of the wall. US-Mexico wall Photo: ILCP photographer

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O'odham land
The image above was taken on the Tohono O'odham Reservation in Southern Arizona. The international border bisecting the lands claimed by the United States and Mexico is shown above. This border cuts the traditional O'odham territory in half.
The militarization of the border region has significantly restricted the ability of members of the Tohono O'odham tribe to travel to sacred sites and visit relatives on the opposite sides of the border. US-Mexico wall Photo by Jeffrey D. Hendricks/solidarity-project.org

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The purpose of the project is to raise awareness of the peril that border infrastructure places on the long-term survival of myriad species that live in the borderlands. This area is a shared conservation treasure of international importance that harbors some of the most biodiverse landscapes on the continent. US-Mexico wall Photo: ILCP photographer

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They spoke with scientists and naturalists on both sides of the border and documented the effect of the wall on our shared ecosystems. US-Mexico wall Photo: ILCP photographer

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"Nobody disagrees on how this is affecting the environment, the only disagreement is how important the environment is in the overall discussion."
Ana Cordova, Ph, D, Institute for Northern Border Studies. US-Mexico wall Photo: ILCP photographer

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Wildlife: Bird at borderlands. US-Mexico wall borderlands Photo: ILCP photographer

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Wildlife: Armadillo drinking from wetlands close to US-Mexico Wall. Wildlife US-Mexico wall Photo: ILCP photographer

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"What makes it such a fascinating region is that there are 11 distinct ecosystems. Drive 1,5h and you can be in desert dunes. You can go north and you're in woodland potholes. "Nancy Brown, US Fish and Wildlife Service. US-Mexico wall borderlands Photo: ILCP photographer

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"You know if you're an Texas tortoise how do you get around 13 miles of fence or if you're and ocelot and you're crossing an farm field and you're being chased by a predator… It's not a question about convenience, it's a matter of survival." Nancy Brown, US Fish and Wildlife Service. US-Mexico wall borderlands Photo: ILCP photographer

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Wildlife: Hare at the US-Mexico wall borderlands Photo: ILCP photographer

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Wildlife: Kit foxes at US-Mexico wall borderlands Photo: ILCP photographer>

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Wildlife: birds at the US-Mexico wall borderlands. Photo: ILCP photographer

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" The US Mexico border is the largest human construction that has been made to divide two countries since the great wall of china." Rurik List, Ph. D. Institute of Ecology, UNAM. US-Mexico wall arial Photo: ILCP photographer

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"It's all one thing and if you cut it and divide it, it can't make it. If you're gonna walk around something, for a long period of time, and there's limited amounts of water, you're gonna die. It's that simple." US-Mexico wall Photo: ILCP photographer

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US-Mexico wall arial photo in desert ILCP photographer

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US-Mexico wall borderlands lanscape photo: ILCP photographer

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Wildlife: Turkeys at the US-Mexico wall borderlands photo: ILCP photographer

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"Wildlife and the steel US-Mexico wall. Photo: ILCP photographer

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"There has never been this kind of unity among humanity. You have cattle ranchers, farmers, chambers of commerce, the bishop, the University system, you have everybody opposing this thing. Nobody wants this thing. Everybody thinks this is going to be a disaster. How are farmers going to get their water? How are ranchers going to get their' cattle to the river? Yes, this is a HUGE environmental problem. But what about these people who are making a living? What are they going to do?' Nancy Brown, US Fish and Wildlife Service. US-Mexico wall photo: ILCP photographer

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"The solid metal wall can not be crossed by deer, Jaguar, bears, pumas, bobcats, coyotes, badgers, parie dogs. Any animal that can not fly is not able to cross that wall." Rurik List, Ph. D. Institute of Ecology, UNAM. US-Mexico wall photo: ILCP photographer

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Wildlife: Coyotes at US-Mexico wall borderlands. Photo: ILCP photographer

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Wildlife around US-Mexico wall. Photo: ILCP photographer

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"Bighorn sheep are hopefully going to move around freely, It's almost a necessity because of the gene pool. You need that genetic diversity mixing so that you don't' have sinks in your population due to genetics. So there things are very very vital in keeping these corridors open, is the only way for these animals." Bonnie McKinney, CEMEX – El Carmen Project. Wildlife: US-Mexico wall Photo: ILCP photographer

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"Somewhere out there is an impenetrable boundary which prohibits movement of Jaguars, Mexican wolves and other imperiled wildlife which depend of their ability to move between the US and Mexico. " Craig Miller, Defenders of Wildlife. Wildlife: US-Mexico wall Photo: ILCP photographer

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Wildlife: Bobcat at US-Mexico wall. Photo: ILCP photographer

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"They're just cutting the mountain where the wall is going to go into, so you have all these machines and bulldozers in designated wilderness areas." US-Mexico wall photo: ILCP photographer

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"It's very clear that the infrastructure, going with the wall, not just the wall itself is doing just as much damage," Krista Schlyer, ILCP Expedition Leader. US-Mexico wall photo: ILCP photographer

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"The wall construction, and operation, just where border patrol has to drive back and forth, creates erosion and that creates silting, There's not a lot of water going through these motorways, so silting does make a big difference. "Ana Cordova, Ph, D, Institute for Northern Border Studies. US-Mexico wall photo: ILCP photographer

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“if you talk to any professional in any field that has to do with natural resources , be it wildlife, ecosystem, water, soil, there is consensus that the wall is affecting the natural resources in a negative way. “Ana Cordova, Ph, D, Institute for Northern Border Studies. US-Mexico wall in desert photo: ILCP photographer

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“It is the main topic along the border. And the strange thing is it’s very hard to find anyone for it.” Billy Pat McKinney, CEMEX - El Carmen Project. US-Mexico wall in desert photo: ILCP photographer

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Arial photo of US-Mexico wall in desert. Photo: ILCP photographer

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Border patrol US-Mexico wall in desert. Photo: ILCP photographer

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“This huge border, which is 3000 km long, has so many different micro habitats, and micro cosms, that each place is affected differently by the wall and each place has different animal and plant species, different soil system or different hydrology that’s going to be affected. “Ana Cordova, Ph, D, Institute for Northern Border Studies. US-Mexico wall in desert. Photo: ILCP photographer

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“At first look it appears that wildlife conservation is at direct odds with national security, in that wildlife depend on open corridors and being able to move through the landscape, and national security depends on sealing off our borders. We are not at odds, there are dozens of alternatives that can be employed that strike a balance between securing the problematic areas and respecting the needs of wildlife. “Craig Miller, Defenders of Wildlife. US-Mexico wall photo: ILCP photographer

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“In addition to the direct barrier that the wall makes, you have the funneling affect where humans are directed into wildlife territories.” Craig Miller, Defenders of Wildlife US-Mexico wall photo: ILCP photographer

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“We’ve seen that different ecosystem’s don’t’ stop at border. You step from one side to the next and there’s no difference. And that’s where the wildlife view is and we are really creating barriers where there are none naturally.” Krista Schlyer, ILCP Expedition Leader. US-Mexico wall wildlife photo: ILCP photographer

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“We’ve seen that different ecosystem’s don’t’ stop at border. You step from one side to the next and there’s no difference. And that’s where the wildlife view is and we are really creating barriers where there are none naturally.” Krista Schlyer, ILCP Expedition Leader. US-Mexico wall wildlife photo: ILCP photographer

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“I think that the issues going on at the borderland are a complete mystery to the people in the United States.” Krista Schlyer, ILCP Expedition Leader.
“We have these environmental laws there for a reason. We know that we can do major damage, to the environment if we don’t’ act thoughtfully, about what we do.” US-Mexico wall borderlands photo: ILCP photographer