Landscape Connectivity and Wildlife Access to Water in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (Texas)
USGS and partners are investigating how landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water has been impacted by landscape changes in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The Science Issue and Relevance: The Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (LRGVNWR) was established in 1979 with a management priority to protect the unique biodiversity of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). As a wildlife corridor, the refuge follows the Rio Grande along the last 275 river miles. It connects isolated tracts of land managed by private landowners, non-profit organizations, the State of Texas, and two other National Wildlife Refuges (NWR): Santa Ana and Laguna Atascosa. Water is a critical resource for wildlife in this semi-arid region, and many of the LRGV NWR tracts are located adjacent to water and wetland resources critical to wildlife. In recent years, U.S.-Mexico border wall construction activities on the LRGV NWR river tracts have increased. Beyond just the building of fences and walls, border wall construction has cleared vegetation and altered roads, levees, and lighting infrastructure. There is concern that these changes in the landscape have also affected landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water. More specifically, there is concern that border wall construction has produced artificial barriers that hinder wildlife access to water. However, these effects have not been investigated at the landscape scale.
Methodology for Addressing the Issue: This project has two primary objectives: (1) to assess the effects of border wall construction in the LRGV on landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water; and (2) identify opportunities for restoring wildlife access to water. We are evaluating the effects of border wall construction on landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water under four landscape scenarios: (1) a pre-border wall construction landscape scenario (i.e., the landscape before border wall construction activities); (2) a post-border wall construction landscape scenario (i.e., the current landscape, after border wall construction activities); (3) a potential future border wall construction landscape scenario (i.e., a potential future landscape where all proposed border wall sections are constructed across the region); and (4) a potential future border wall with conservation landscape scenario (i.e., a potential future landscape where all proposed border wall sections are constructed across the region and conservations actions are implemented).
Future Steps: This project will advance understanding of how changes in the landscape and conservation actions at the U.S.-Mexico border can affect landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water in the LRGV.
USGS and partners are investigating how landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water has been impacted by landscape changes in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
The Science Issue and Relevance: The Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge (LRGVNWR) was established in 1979 with a management priority to protect the unique biodiversity of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV). As a wildlife corridor, the refuge follows the Rio Grande along the last 275 river miles. It connects isolated tracts of land managed by private landowners, non-profit organizations, the State of Texas, and two other National Wildlife Refuges (NWR): Santa Ana and Laguna Atascosa. Water is a critical resource for wildlife in this semi-arid region, and many of the LRGV NWR tracts are located adjacent to water and wetland resources critical to wildlife. In recent years, U.S.-Mexico border wall construction activities on the LRGV NWR river tracts have increased. Beyond just the building of fences and walls, border wall construction has cleared vegetation and altered roads, levees, and lighting infrastructure. There is concern that these changes in the landscape have also affected landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water. More specifically, there is concern that border wall construction has produced artificial barriers that hinder wildlife access to water. However, these effects have not been investigated at the landscape scale.
Methodology for Addressing the Issue: This project has two primary objectives: (1) to assess the effects of border wall construction in the LRGV on landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water; and (2) identify opportunities for restoring wildlife access to water. We are evaluating the effects of border wall construction on landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water under four landscape scenarios: (1) a pre-border wall construction landscape scenario (i.e., the landscape before border wall construction activities); (2) a post-border wall construction landscape scenario (i.e., the current landscape, after border wall construction activities); (3) a potential future border wall construction landscape scenario (i.e., a potential future landscape where all proposed border wall sections are constructed across the region); and (4) a potential future border wall with conservation landscape scenario (i.e., a potential future landscape where all proposed border wall sections are constructed across the region and conservations actions are implemented).
Future Steps: This project will advance understanding of how changes in the landscape and conservation actions at the U.S.-Mexico border can affect landscape connectivity and wildlife access to water in the LRGV.