The Center for Biological Diversity reports ongoing habitat damage in Arizona’s Agua Fria National Monument due to unauthorized cattle grazing. Despite legal efforts to remove livestock, critical habitats for the Gila chub and Western yellow-billed cuckoo continue to degrade.
Surveys since 2021 have documented trampled streambeds, overgrazed vegetation, and pollution from cattle waste. Archeological sites within the monument have also been affected. Lawsuits have prompted federal agencies to reassess conservation efforts, but habitat destruction persists.
Designated in 2000, the monument protects cultural and ecological resources. Horseshoe Ranch, acquired in 2010 for endangered species conservation, remains impacted by grazing. The Center has identified widespread habitat damage across Arizona and New Mexico, exposing systemic conservation failures.
Riparian areas, vital to 75% of Arizona’s wildlife, cover less than 1% of the state. Human activities, especially livestock grazing, have destroyed much of the region’s low-elevation riparian ecosystems. The rare cottonwood-willow riparian forest in Agua Fria faces increasing threats.
Livestock grazing is a major driver of ecosystem degradation and species endangerment in the Southwest. Conservationists stress that removing cattle from these sensitive areas is crucial to preserving biodiversity.
