The Ecological Disasters Created By The Border Wall. Laiken Jordahl, borderlands campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity, joins Steve Williamson to discuss the devastating ecological impact of the border wall.
Jordahl notes that about 450 miles of new border wall have been built that have ripped necessary wildlife habitat in two. There are only about a dozen more miles of wall to be built in Arizona. “If that’s completed,” he says, “it will end Jaguar recovery in Arizona. The habitat segmentation is disastrous for all wildlife, leading to inbreeding and cutting off wildlife from food and limited water sources.” We’re already seeing the consequences, according to Jordahl. He explains that a Mule Deer was recently found dead next to the wall, likely because it could no longer find a path to water. “These animals have not evolved to understand border walls,” he says. “Many others will meet a similar fate.”
He also notes that the wall has a devastating impact on border communities and indigenous people whose lands have been cut in two. “These people, just like the wildlife, are deeply interconnected,” says Jordahl. “We have to understand that these walls don’t prevent anyone from crossing. The wall does nothing to keep us safe. We have to find sections of the wall to come down to restore Jaguar habitat and migratory corridors. We need to consult with tribal leaders and compensate for sacred lands and sacred sites that have been destroyed. It has been a difficult four years for those of us who live down here.”
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