Location: southern Arizona, New Mexico, northern Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico

Border fencing and other security infrastructure (access roads, 24-hour security lighting, and noise from aircraft patrols) have become a major threat to wildlife movement between Mexico and the Sky Islands region of southern Arizona and New Mexico. With proposals to greatly expand fencing, the border is becoming an impervious barrier to wide-ranging species such as jaguars, ocelots, mountain lions, and pronghorn. Without such landscape connections, there is no chance for natives like Mexican wolves and jaguars to return to their historic ranges.

Private Landowner Participation
Private landowners within Wildlands Network planning areas are encouraged to participate in voluntary actions to protect wildlife linkages and native species. Such voluntary actions may include taking advantage of federal and state programs that pay landowners for conservation of their lands; voluntary sale or donation of conservation easements to land trusts or conservancies; changes in management to protect ecological property values; or through voluntary sale or donation of land to conservation buyers.