El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve

Factors identified at the time of inscription of the property:

• Impacts of tourism/visitor/recreation (tourism activities, off-road vehicles as well as potential problems derived from tourism-related water consumption)
• Invasive/alien terrestrial species
• Ground transport infrastructure (proposed roads)
• Necessity to save the Sonoran Pronghorn from possible extinction
• Environmental concerns in security efforts along the international border

Following information received from third parties, the World Heritage Centre wrote to the State Parties of the United States of America (USA) and Mexico on 4 October 2019 and 2 March 2020 requesting information in relation to the project of construction of a wall along the border between the USA and Mexico and its potential impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, which is located on the territory of Mexico along the border.

On 15 August 2020, the State Party of the USA confirmed that a construction of a new border barrier was currently underway on the border separating the property from the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (OPCNM) and the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge (CBNWR) protected areas located in the USA. The construction is being coordinated by the US Department of Homeland Security with the US Army Corps of Engineers and is being placed along the entire length between the property and the above-mentioned protected areas. The State Party of the USA noted that discussions were ongoing to understand and mitigate, where possible, any potential environmental impacts from the barrier, such as on wildlife movements.

On 10 April 2020, the World Heritage Centre sent a letter to the State Party of Mexico expressing strong concern regarding information received from various sources that the construction of the wall project along the border of the property had already been started by the USA. The letter informed the State Party of Mexico that this issue will be examined by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session.

In response, on 5 October 2020, the State Party of Mexico submitted a State of conservation report available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1410/documents/. The report confirms that the border wall construction is complete along 3 out of 4 sections, with sections in other areas still under construction at the time of reporting. The new structures consist of a solid metal wall combined with another parallel wall of mesh, barbed wire and service and surveillance roads and replace the existing physical structures in the border area, which were permeable to wildlife. It is reported that these new structures will inevitably have impacts on the biodiversity and the OUV of the property, as a result of loss of ecological connectivity, degradation and fragmentation of habitat, reduced access to resources, isolation and fragmentation of populations, among other aspects.

The negative impacts of the border wall on the biodiversity and conservation of the property is of utmost concern. The border wall will constitute a physical barrier between the property and the adjoining OPCNM and CPNWR and will result in direct negative impacts on the wider ecological connectivity and movements of key wildlife populations, such as the Sonoran Pronghorn and the Bighorn Sheep, which constitute important attributes of the OUV of the property. Such conclusion is also confirmed by the preliminary assessment of potential impacts on the property provided by the State Party of Mexico.

It needs to be recalled that the IUCN 2013 Evaluation of the nomination for the inscription of the property on the World Heritage List had already noted that the property’s ecological connectivity with the OPCNM and CPNWR as well as the Barry M. Goldwater Range in the USA was an important condition for the integrity of the property. The evaluation also pointed out that while the international border presented no obstacles in the past, newly erected physical barriers would present a potential threat to the state of conservation of the property.

It is of particular concern that no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of this project has been submitted to the World Heritage Centre, in line with the requirements of the Operational Guidelines, given the potential impact of the wall on the OUV of the property, and that construction works are underway and been partially completed.

It is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party of the USA to halt any further works on the border wall adjacent to the property, and request, in line with Paragraph 118bis of the Operational Guidelines, the States Parties of Mexico and the USA to cooperate in conducting an assessment of impacts that the construction works might have already had on the OUV of the property and to develop appropriate measures to ensure the restoration of ecological connectivity and submit information on this to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN.

In line with the spirit of the World Heritage Convention, there is a need to reinforce transnational cooperation to ensure the proper protection and conservation of the property and maintain ecological connectivity. In this respect, it its recommended that the Committee reiterate its Decision 37 COM 8B.16 which encouraged the States Parties of Mexico and the USA to strengthen cooperation on the conservation and management of the shared Greater Sonoran Desert Ecosystem, building upon the existing agreements and working relationships at all levels, with a view of the possible formal establishment of a transboundary protected area.