{"id":74431,"date":"2025-03-31T10:19:56","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T17:19:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=74431"},"modified":"2025-03-31T10:19:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T17:19:56","slug":"wildlife-border-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wildlife-border-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s why border fences are bad for wildlife"},"content":{"rendered":"

International border barriers everywhere are harming wildlife by bisecting their habitats, disrupting their hunting and collecting patterns and preventing them from commingling. In some cases, the borders are causing so much harm that they could cause certain species to go extinct.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s according to a <\/span>new study<\/span><\/a> published in the journal Biological Conservation led by <\/span>Cole Sennett<\/span><\/b>, a recent NAU master\u2019s graduate in forestry, and <\/span>Carol Chambers<\/span><\/b>, a professor in the School of Forestry. The literature review, which analyzed 42 studies on wildlife and borders by scientists across the globe, was part of a<\/span> special issue<\/span> on addressing land degradation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith border barriers, the habitat that animals once moved freely across is divided, fragmenting populations, reducing availability to water, lowering gene flow and even killing animals that try to cross,\u201d Chambers said. \u201cAnimals don\u2019t recognize political boundaries\u2014they are tied to the resources that they need to survive. It\u2019s hard seeing animals come up against a new barrier\u2014a huge wall or fence\u2014that stops their ability to get a drink of water or find seasonal foods, especially in desert environments.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Border barriers can hamper animals’ ability to interact, find food and more.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chambers pointed out that the problem has become worse due to a dramatic increase in border barriers in the 21st century. According to a <\/span>report from the Migration Policy Institute<\/span><\/a> there were just two dozen border walls across the world in 2000; two decades later, that number has tripled. The U.S.-Mexico border has become the 10th longest border wall in the world at almost 2,000 miles long.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we keep building and maintaining borders the way we are now, it means that our grandkids or great-grandkids might not be able to see a jaguar in southern Arizona ever again,\u201d Sennett said. \u201cAs an avid hunter and conservationist, my hope is that this research inspires countries to find a way to keep their borders secure while making sure wildlife aren\u2019t harmed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sennett said that after reviewing dozens of studies, he and Chambers found three main ways in which physical borders were harming wildlife:<\/span><\/p>\n