❮ Projects page Defenders of Wildlife

Defenders of Wildlife is a conservation organization whose mission is to protect and restore the habitats of imperiled North American wildlife. Since any legal obligations to conduct an environmental impact analysis for the construction of the U.S.-Mexico border wall were waived under the Trump administration, Defenders of Wildlife has been working to protect imperiled species impacted by the growing wall. The main components of the Defenders of Wildlife - Summer of Maps project are to:

• analyze the existing and proposed border wall’s impact on threatened/endangered species and their habitats and to
• determine which areas along the border should be prioritized for additional conservation efforts.

To determine which regions along the border should be prioritized, Evelyn conducted a weighted sum analysis using data on regional biodiversity, U.S. critical habitats, and protected areas on both the U.S. and Mexico side of the border. The results indicate that the Sonoran Desert between Nogales, Arizona, U.S., and Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico should be prioritized due to high species richness and the presence of both critical habitats and protected areas.