Against the backdrop of shifting literal and social climates, a Fulbright scholar reminded listeners that “Wildlife don’t know anything about the political world.”
The speaker, Jesús Fernández, was one member of the “Wildlife Without Borders: Conserving Mammals Across the U.S. Southwest and Northwestern Mexico” panel hosted by the University of New Mexico Latin American and Iberian Studies Department on Thursday, Nov. 6. The panel included four speakers — Fernández, Jason Malaney, Enrique Martínez Meyer and Cuauhcihuatl Vital García — alongside moderator and historian Samuel Truett.
Fernández is a professor of taxonomy and systematics of biodiversity at Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua. He focuses primarily on the evolution and conservation of mammals and discussed the biodiversity in the transboundary region at the event.
Fernández said there are over a thousand species of vertebrates, including 330 species of mammals, in the area intersected by the U.S.-Mexico border. In both Chihuahua and New Mexico, 206 mammal species have been documented, meaning their habitats and range span across the boundary.
The region is a biodiversity hotspot, Fernández said, but its transboundary position creates a conservation challenge, as the U.S. and Mexico must work collectively to protect the species that call the border region home.
“Conservation policies must be bi-national, must be science-based and collaborative,” Fernández said.
Fernández also advocated for more robust museums, specimen collections, and more sampling efforts in Southern New Mexico and Northern Mexico to increase the amount of information available to conservationists.
Malaney, the current curator of biosciences at the UNM New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Sciences, began his talk by having the audience look at and reflect on an image of “Methuselah,” a bristlecone pine in California that Malaney said is thought to be the oldest living organism on the planet. The tree is over 4,000 years old.
“I introduced this here tonight because this is an example of an organism that can tell us a story, and that transcends to all organisms on the planet,” Malaney said. “As scientists, we have a responsibility to tell the stories for these organisms.”
Malaney’s talk was an in-depth look at “Sky-Islands,” which are areas of isolated mountain peaks and forests otherwise separated by desert. Sky Islands serve as “natural laboratories,” allowing scientists to see how species arise and the impacts of adaptation, Malaney said.
Sky Islands are threatened by climate change. The “cool and wet” habitats many species need to survive are rapidly disappearing as a result of climate change, endangering and wiping out species, Malaney said.
“There is a massive change that is on the horizon. So that likely spells a lot of conservation challenges for many of these species,” Malaney said.
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For his talk, Martínez Meyer, a professor at the Institute of Biology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, shared his experience working with Mexican wolf reintroduction and conservation. Meyer’s team is currently trying to introduce the wolves to Durango, Colorado, he said.
Martínez Meyer said that in the 1970s, the Mexican wolf was all but extinct. From a population of just seven individuals in 1982, a healthy population was able to emerge in the southwestern United States. Efforts to stabilize the population in Mexico are ongoing, he said.
“We have to acknowledge that the two countries have large asymmetry in this matter. We in Mexico don’t have the same financial capacity or human capacity for running the program as it happens in the U.S.,” Martínez Meyer said.
Martínez Meyer called for consistent, bi-national efforts that are stable and do not restart with every administration change in one nation or the other. Martínez Meyer expressed his belief in the possibility and importance of the efforts.
“I think that preserving this transboundary area is not only a matter of will. I think it’s our obligation,” Martínez Meyer said.
The final speaker, Vital García, is a professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez. Her specialty is in parasites and pathogens, discussing the diverse amounts of parasites found on animals that can be signs of a healthy ecosystem with good biodiversity, at the event. Animal movements can be tracked in part based on what parasites they are carrying, she said.
“These guys are carrying these diseases, and because these guys are moving really long distances, they are actually moving all these diseases long distances as well. And maybe perhaps across the border,” Vital García said. “All those stories suggested that maybe parasites are going to be indicators — bioindicators — and they’re gonna be telling us something about the health of that ecosystem.”
Parasites also carry zoonotic diseases, meaning that bi-national communication, research and collaboration can help slow the spread of animal-borne diseases and prevent harm to human and animal communities.
“We need to start sharing these databases across the borders. The fact that we are south of the border doesn’t mean that we’re gonna be not getting those diseases that are on the north side. So we need to start sharing databases,” Vital García said. “We need to also start working on more molecular diagnosis to identify pathogens that are going to be important for humans, yes, but also for wildlife.”
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
