Healing the Wounds: An Example from the Sky Islands - Design with the Desert: Conservation and Sustainable Development - page 193

FIGURE 10.1
Diagram of Sky Island habitats in the southwest United States and northern Mexico. The habitats are on the
higher elevations of the mountain ranges of this region. (Courtesy of Sky Jacobs.)
We will first discuss the major wounds and then we will present the goals and objectives
of the Sky Islands Wildlands Network Conservation Plan, which is designed to heal the
wounds.
10.2 Wounds to the Land
The six major wounds in the Sky Islands/northern Sierra Madre Occidental landscape are
as follows:
• Many species of native animals—especially carnivores, large ungulates, and
keystone rodents—have been extirpated or greatly reduced in numbers.
• Watersheds, stream channels, and riparian forests have been damaged almost
beyond measure.