The Missing Faces From Hidalgo County

There are 51 animal species that are threatened or engendered with extinction in Hidalgo County, the Southern Terminus of the CDT. The human population in that county is more than 30 times larger than the entire living population of wild Mexican Wolves, which were once prevalent. For nearly half of those 51 species, habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation is cited as a major cause by Greg Schmitt, an engendered species biologist at the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.

In planning for the hike, it would be great to anticipate wandering through a wilderness inhabited by Jaguars, Shrews, Pocket Gophers, multiple species of hummingbirds, Bald Eagles, Black Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, Giant Spotted Whiptail lizards, Reticent Gila Monsters, New Mexico Ridge-Nosed Rattlesnakes, Sonoran Desert Toads, and so many other creatures. Instead I will mostly find signs of humans, and the animals humans raise for consumption.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “Half of the world’s habitable land has been converted to agriculture, and some 77 percent of agricultural land is used for grazing by cattle, sheep, goats, and other livestock.” As a result of that habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation, the average number of vertebrates worldwide has been reduced by 60 percent since 1970. Over that same period the human population has nearly doubled (https://www.britannica.com/science/biodiversity-loss).

For reference, that means that if every square inch of the United States, every city, every park, every neighborhood, school, parking lot, mall, shopping center, sports stadium, industrial zone; every forest and field, every farm, every mountain; all the highways, railroads, and airports, if it was all used for nothing but grazing, we would still need nearly five times that amount of land to support the grazing that currently happens worldwide. The spheres in the image show the comparison visually.

As insulated as modern society is from our food chain and the natural system that supports it, we are still inextricably reliant upon that system. While Hidalgo County represents only a tiny fraction of the landmass where habitat has been destroyed, in that tiny space there are 51 different species facing extinction. Of those, there are 26 species of birds. Like canaries in coal mines, the dying doves, trogons, falcons, kingbirds, flycatchers, and sparrows may be trying to warn us of something.

All-out veganism is beyond unrealistic for most people. But every burger you skip for a salad could help resuscitate ecosystems around the world. Every time you order a veggie burrito or opt for a veggie scramble, it gives a momentary respite to animals fighting for their existence. Black bean burgers, veggie ramen or pho, pizza options that don’t include meat, or basically any Indian dish, all offer vital habitats a chance at survival.