Proposed Border Infrastructure in Big Bend Threatens One of North America's Most Important Conservation Landscapes

Recent federal actions to advance border barrier construction in the Big Bend region have renewed concerns about the future of one of North America's most ecologically significant and least fragmented landscapes. A federal court recently issued a preliminary injunction preventing construction and other ground-disturbing activities from moving forward while legal challenges continue.

For more than 60 years, The Nature Conservancy in Texas (TNC) has worked alongside private landowners, local communities, state and federal agencies, and conservation partners to protect the lands and waters of the Trans-Pecos region. TNC owns and manages the Davis Mountains Preserve and has helped conserve tens of thousands of acres across West Texas, including landscapes connected to Big Bend National Park, Big Bend Ranch State Park and Black Gap Wildlife Management Area.

The Big Bend region is a globally significant conservation landscape where extensive desert, mountain, grassland and river ecosystems remain connected across large distances. These landscapes support iconic wildlife, sustain working lands, drive a recreation-based economy and provide ecological benefits that extend far beyond the region.

The Nature Conservancy in Texas issued the following statement:

“The Big Bend region is one of the last great, connected landscapes in North America, and for more than six decades The Nature Conservancy has worked alongside landowners, communities, agencies and conservation partners to help protect it,” said James McGuire, TNC's state director in Texas.

“From the Davis Mountains to the Rio Grande corridor, we have seen firsthand how connected habitats support working lands, wildlife, local communities and the outdoor recreation economy that helps sustain many West Texas communities.”

“Science consistently shows that border walls and their associated infrastructure, including roads, extensive lighting and vegetation clearing, disrupt wildlife movement, fragment habitat and alter the ecological processes that sustain these landscapes. Species such as black bears, bighorn sheep, mule deer and mountain lions depend on the ability to move across large landscapes to access habitat, food and water. Maintaining that connectivity is essential to the long-term health of the region.”

“As federal agencies evaluate next steps, we believe this is a critical opportunity to fully assess alternatives that can achieve security objectives while avoiding or substantially reducing impacts to natural resources, working lands and local communities. Proven technologies, remote surveillance systems and other less damaging approaches deserve thorough consideration before physical barriers are constructed in ecologically sensitive areas.”

“The Nature Conservancy has long supported solutions informed by science and developed in collaboration with local communities, landowners and resource managers. We urge decision-makers to carefully consider the long-term environmental, economic and community consequences that large-scale infrastructure could have on this remarkable landscape.”

“We remain committed to working with partners across the region to protect and restore the lands and waters of West Texas and ensure that future generations inherit a landscape as connected, resilient and extraordinary as the one we know today.”