Immigration Policy and American Wilderness

American wilderness is important for the rest of the world.

Of the remaining intact global areas identified as necessary to reverse further biodiversity loss and enhance natural carbon removal, 75% are within just six countries, including the United States. These wildlands include critical habitats for large mammals like the Grizzly bear.

From 2001 to 2017, the United States lost the equivalent of nine Grand Canyon national parks.

Most areas east of the Mississippi have less than 20 percent of their natural ecosystems intact. The East Coast has less remaining nature to preserve. Much of the American West, however, has a great conservation opportunity.

Current immigration policy accelerates the loss of America’s wilderness by promoting unprecedented rates of legal and illegal immigration. The Census Bureau projects that the U.S. population will grow by 75 million people by the Year 2060, with roughly 90 percent of that growth resulting from immigration. Illegal immigration over the past two years is running at twice the level of legal immigration.

One step Congress can take to protect American wilderness is to pass the border and workplace reforms necessary to stem illegal immigration.

America’s rare opportunity and responsibility

World Wilderness Day was established by the European Wilderness Society with the goal of raising awareness about the world’s disappearing wilderness areas. Europe provides a cautionary tale. Europe is one of the most intensely settled areas of the world. Europeans live three times more densely than Americans yet have – for centuries – cut down their forests for housing and fuel. Most of that was done to make room for additional farmland (to grow crops and graze livestock).

By contrast, America’s intact landscapes comprise 50% or more of the country. We have far more wilderness than most nations, and therefore more to protect. America loses about 1.5 million acres of nature every year, primarily due to agriculture, energy development, and housing sprawl. A growing population needs more food, energy, and housing.

Wilderness areas provide life-supporting ecosystem services that are vital to human life. They produce clean air and water. They regulate climate, pollution, pollination, and floods. A better immigration policy would go a long way toward protecting this rich resource and heritage.