CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2008
| Author | Cheney, Laura Renee |
|---|---|
| Title | Protecting Wildlife on Public Lands: National Security and Wildlife Conservation Along the US-Mexico Border |
| Summary | Wildlife conservation is challenging along the US-Mexico border. In the past few years, extensive illegal activity and associated law enforcement has continued to intensify, disturbing wildlife and diverting attention away from conservation on public border lands. Diverse habitats and species are protected under federal and state environmental laws; yet security mandates infringe upon conservation efforts, marginalizing the environmental mission. US border legislation has mandated infrastructure in the form of physical walls, which threatens wildlife migration and breeding. This project investigates the compatibility of border security strategy and wildlife conservation on public lands. It explores perspectives of key actors in the region through qualitative interview sampling. Findings reveal that US national security operations are compromising the ability of conservationists to meet environmental requirements. In the US, financial resources intended to protect wildlife are being redirected to border security issues, while border apprehension strategies are damaging the land. Border security and wildlife conservation are thus incompatible at the federal level; however professionals in the field believe they are theoretically and practically compatible, provided that positive collaboration occurs. |
| Supervisor | Anthony, Brandon |
| Department | Environment Sciences and Policy MSc |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2008/cheney_laura.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University