tucson audubon society

grant award: $300,000; year awarded: 2021

Saguaros are an essential species for the Sonoran Desert and serve as nesting sites for 14 different bird species. Climate-driven impacts like increasing temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are changing saguaro populations via range extensions, contractions, and localized extirpations. The project team at Tucson Audubon Society plans to create novel saguaro-replicating nest boxes, strategically manage invasive plants, and re-establish saguaros in areas where they will be most resilient to climate change. Facilitating saguaro migration will accelerate the pace of establishment in climatically-viable habitat, ensuring that they continue to provide services for the wildlife species that depend on them. The nest-boxes will help keep the unique saguaro-dependent ecosystem intact while the newly planted saguaros become established in the long-term.