UNESCO warns El Pinacate Biosphere Reserve danger listing looms if Mexico and US fail to restore wildlife corridors and protect cross-border species migrations.
Mexican and U.S. authorities face a mounting deadline to restore wildlife corridors in the El Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve or risk a formal designation as a World Heritage Site in Danger. At its recent session in Paris, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee warned that species such as the Sonoran pronghorn, bighorn sheep and black bear remain cut off by 100 kilometers of border wall erected under the Trump administration.
The resolution, adopted unanimously by 21 States Parties, calls on Mexico and the United States to submit an urgent joint action plan. It must outline concrete steps to reestablish cross–border biological corridors and restore ecosystem connectivity. Without these measures, the reserve could be added to the List of World Heritage in Danger as early as the next committee meeting.
UNESCO also requested that the World Heritage Centre and the International Union for Conservation of Nature schedule their long-delayed mission. This joint assessment will measure the wall’s full impact on the desert’s biodiversity. Committee members stressed that an in-field evaluation is critical to calibrate mitigation strategies.
In its Paris resolution, UNESCO singled out a proposed photovoltaic project near Puerto Peñasco. It urged Mexican authorities to track environmental risks and ensure that any mitigation efforts align fully with the reserve’s protected status. “The States Parties of Mexico and the United States are encouraged to strengthen their collaboration to address shared conservation challenges in order to ensure the long-term conservation of the Outstanding Universal Value of the Property,” the text reads.
Conservation groups have pressed for an immediate inscription on the Danger List to mobilize funding and political support. Alejandro Olivera of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Mexico office argued that past warnings in 2021, 2023 and earlier in 2024 produced little action. “Reminders are no longer enough,” he said. “Wildlife cannot wait while key migration routes remain blocked.”
First designated a World Heritage Site in 2013, the Pinacate and Gran Desierto de Altar reserve spans Puerto Peñasco, San Luis Río Colorado and Sonoyta in Sonora. Its volcanic craters, star-shaped dunes and unique geological formations rank among North America’s rarest landscapes. The area hosts endangered species including the desert tortoise, whose habitat fragments further with each section of wall.
UNESCO’s resolution aims to marshal both financial and political resources for the reserve’s protection. By demanding an urgent plan, it puts governments on notice that failure to act could trigger formal danger status, a move designed to spur high-level commitments. For communities on both sides of the border, the decision underscores the shared responsibility to safeguard one of the world’s most biodiverse deserts.
