The Yuma Desert COA is a vast area of sand dunes and sandy soils that includes the Yuma Desert Management Area for the flat-tailed horned lizard, and the Yuma Dunes, the northernmost extension of El Gran Desierto in Sonora, and habitat for the Yuman Desert fringe-toed lizard. This COA also adjoins the northwestern corner of the 1,764,978 acres (714,566 ha) Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar, in Sonora, Mexico (a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve). The dune habitats support a unique suite of plants, including the only Arizona occurrences of the rare parasitic plant, sandfood, an important food plant in the Hia Ced O’odham and Cocopah cultures.
Conservation Goals
- Maintain habitat for species found within the Yuma Desert dune field including contiguous habitat outside of the Yuma Desert Management Area for the flat-tailed horned lizard and Yuman fringe-toed lizard.
- Work with partners in Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate to maintain unfragmented habitats across the international border.
- Eliminate the threat posed by invasive Saharan mustard.
Map
Primary Threats
4. Residential and Commercial Development
6. Energy Production and Mining
7. Human Intrusions and Disturbance
8. Invasive and Other Problematic Species
Potential Conservation Actions
1. Land and Water Protection
- Develop conservation easements or acquire lands on public or private lands in order to maintain and protect corridors and buffer existing wildlife habitats and protected areas.
2. Land and Water Management
- Conserve or improve areas for migratory birds identified as important habitats during any part of their annual life cycle (breeding, stopover, or wintering).
- Design lighting and other security infrastructure along the borderlands that minimize disturbance to wildlife, but meet the needs of the Department of Homeland Security.
- Increase efforts to remove invasive Sahara mustard in prioritized areas.
5. Law and Policy
- Increase enforcement of existing laws and regulations to reduce poaching and illegal take of plant and animal species.
- Increase enforcement of existing laws and regulations to reduce poaching and illegal take of plant and animal species.
7. External Capacity Building
- Work with federal and state agencies to address the critical need for wildlife movement across the international border with Mexico, and help design any necessary border barriers to allow wildlife movement.
4. Education and Awareness
- Conduct research to better understand impacts of utility-scale solar energy production facilities on wildlife populations and movement in order to better inform site selection, avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures for projects
- Raise environmental awareness and provide information through various media.
Habitats Present
Strategy Species
Amphibians
Birds
LeConte's Thrasher, Western Burrowing Owl, Loggerhead Shrike
Mammals
Bailey's Pocket Mouse, Black-tailed Jackrabbit, Desert Kangaroo Rat, Desert Pocket Mouse, Harris's Antelope Squirrel
Plants
Reptiles
Desert Iguana, Flat-tailed Horned Lizard, Goode's Horned Lizard, Long-nosed Leopard Lizard, Resplendent Shovel-nosed Snake, Sidewinder, Yuman Desert Fringe-toed Lizard
Fish
See Associated Aquatic COAs for fish species.
Protected Areas and Other Areas of Conservation Value
- Barry M. Goldwater Range
- Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar
- Yuma Desert Management Area for the Flat-tailed Horned Lizard
Potential Partners
- DOD U.S. Marine Corps
- Bureau of Land Management
- Department of Homeland Securty
- Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC)
- City of Yuma
- Yuma County
- Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONAP)
- City of San Luis
Relevant Conservation Plans
- Flat-tailed Horned Lizard Rangewide Management Strategy
- Barry M. Goldwater Range Integration Natural Resources Management Plan
- BLM Yuma Resource Management Plan
- City of San Louis General Plan
- City of Yuma General Plan
Associated Aquatic COAs
- No associated Aquatic COAs