Next Steps
While the future doesn’t look bright for Arizona’s saguaros, there is still hope. According to Hernandez, replacing and planting more is the key to saving Arizona’s beloved saguaros.
“If we are going to do something, we need to start acting,” said Hernandez. “If we want to preserve saguaros in the Valley, we need to start doing that now. The best way to do that is by planting more saguaros.”
Currently, efforts are being made to help protect these beloved succulents. At the Desert Botanical Garden, they plan to create an adopt-a-saguaro program for conservation purposes.
They are working on gathering seeds from areas that adapt well to extreme temperatures in hopes they can survive urban settings. This may take a couple of years to run.
In the meantime, there are ways people can preserve and protect their saguaros now. The best way people can take care of their saguaros is not to overwater them. Instead, run a hose 2′-3′ feet from the base of the cactus. Let the water trickle for 4-6 hours monthly during summer.
The saguaro symbolizes resilience and strength for many. People come from all around the world to see one. Because of this, it is hard to imagine the Southwest without saguaros.
Juarez explains that Arizona’s biodiversity and food chain will disappear if all saguaros die.
“If you kill a keystone species like the saguaro, all the interdependent species and the biodiversity that relies on it, the food chain will also disappear.”
As the future looks uncertain, saguaros need protection more than ever. Juarez warns, “It is one of our species here that we need to protect. Once it is gone, it will never come back.”
For those with more serious concerns about the saguaro, contact the Garden’s plant hotline at [email protected].
“Unlike animals like us, plants don’t move. When you are hot, you can move and get shade, but plants cannot. The problem for plants is that it is extremely hot, and if they can’t cool down, they stop performing photosynthesis; they stop breathing.”
There is not enough data to predict what next summer will hold. Hernandez predicts that more saguaros will die as temperatures rise in the future.