Rainfall in the great Altar desert has decreased in recent years, putting the region’s wildlife at risk. The reason, beyond climate change, could be the United States and the silver iodide that diverts the clouds to the north, without the Mexican authorities doing anything about it
One day in 2020, while Federico Godínez was camping in the Altar desert, in Sonora, he saw that the clouds that threatened rain were moving towards the north side of the border wall, that is, towards the United States.
His presence there was no coincidence, since until 2017 Godinez had been director of the Pinacate biosphere reserve and the great Altar desert. That year he decided to retire after 13 years of work and began to act from civil society with the Magool foundation, dedicated to the conservation and protection of the Sonoran pronghorn and the bighorn sheep, endemic species of the region.
“We have noticed that the lack of rain has worsened in recent years, particularly since 2020,” says a worried Federico, as the lack of rain directly affects the supply of water sources with which wildlife survives in the middle of the desert.
“This could be influenced by human activities,” he warns.
“During this time we have noticed that, when clouds appeared over our region, they moved north, towards the American side, and it began to rain torrentially just after crossing the wall. At first we thought it was a coincidence, but then we observed planes – especially small planes – flying over the area before this happened.”
The planes that Federico observed were flying on the side of the United States, and were carrying out a process known as cloud seeding, which is nothing other than the spreading of silver iodide over the sky to attract clouds to a specific location, and with this, generate rain in a strategic location.
This, says Federico, “is affecting the amount of rain falling south of the border and has made the situation more difficult for local wildlife,” which was already difficult due to the construction of the wall.
The wall that was left with water
Images captured from the weather service radar on Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at 4 pm where the red spot of concentration of a large rainfall can be clearly seen, which, due to its duration of almost two hours, we estimate at least 75 millimeters, while exactly and on the southern border a cloud void of equal size was caused where we were observing the operations of the planes dropping silver iodide north of the border.
Following the construction of the wall between 2018 and 2019, which did not include any wildlife crossings, many animals remained south of the border, within the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve and other nearby areas, such as common lands and open territories that directly border the 9-meter steel bars that divide Mexico from the United States.
This condition has put at risk endemic animals such as the Sonoran pronghorn (currently in danger of extinction) and the bighorn sheep, who directly depend on the availability of water to survive and who, beyond human borders, extend their habitat between the Sonoran desert and Arizona.
«We know that the main sources of water for wildlife are located north of the border, in areas that previously belonged to Mexico and are now blocked by the wall. South of the wall, permanent sources of water for wildlife have been left out of their reach. Animals such as pronghorn, bighorn sheep and mule deer can no longer access these water sources, which means they are forced to rely on temporary water reservoirs, such as the “tinajas” (small water tanks) that fill up during the rains,” explains Federico.
These reservoirs are also threatened by the climate crisis, which has altered the rain cycle, causing the region’s wildlife to be in danger during critical periods, mainly during the summer, when temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius.
Desert rain
Pinacate Biosphere Reserve, Sonora. Photo: Alejandro Ruiz
In the Sonoran Desert, the rainy season is divided into two: the summer monsoon season – which began around June 24 and lasted until September – when torrential rains occur in short periods of time (15 to 30 minutes); and the winter rains, which are milder and last longer (sometimes up to two or three days) and allow water to infiltrate the soil, which is more beneficial for the fauna and vegetation of the desert.
«This was a natural cycle that helped recharge the aquifers and streams of the region, which favored vegetation and fauna. However, in the last 20 years we have noticed a mismatch in rainfall patterns due to climate change, and rains no longer occur with the same regularity. In some years, we have received no more than 50 millimeters of rain a year, and in others we have had much higher rainfall, like 300 millimeters, but always irregularly,” laments Federico.
Faced with this, he and his family have dedicated themselves to protecting, conserving and supporting the wildlife that remained on the south side of the wall. They do this, often, with their own resources and with the help of local ejidatarios.
“In our conservation work, especially in the warmer and drier months, we help larger mammals, such as the Sonoran pronghorn, an endangered species, and the bighorn sheep. The population of these animals is found between Sonoyta, San Luis Río Colorado and the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve, which borders Arizona.”
Fighting against the current
Their job consists of transporting water to these places. They do it with vehicles and trailers that carry 2,500 liters. They drive along the border, between Sonoyta and San Luis Río Colorado. They also install water troughs in strategic places and monitor the species that benefit from this work through camera traps, which also serves to evaluate the health and size of the fauna populations.
One of their latest actions was carried out in the Voluntary Conservation Area that the El Bajío ejido granted to the Mexican government to protect the endemic species of the region after they expelled a Fresnillo PLC mining company from their territory.
Despite this, and although Federico and his family have insisted that the government take action to supply water in the area, their actions seem solitary.
One of their proposals, for example, was to replicate the cloud seeding that they do on the US side. However, both the local and federal governments have not listened to him, although in Sonora the Livestock Union already does a similar process in agricultural production regions, and at the federal level the government has decided to use this action in places that are in danger due to drought.
Source: piedepagina
