As the world trends towards rapid and unchecked development, protected areas pay the price by becoming more and more isolated. Case in point: the large region of South America that is covered by two ecosystems, the Pantanal (the largest tropical wetland) and the Gran Chaco (South America’s largest seasonally dry tropical forests) is at risk of encroachment and fragmentation. The region—the size of Texas, California, and Montana combined—covers parts of four countries: Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, and is home to an amazing array of wildlife, including jaguars, giant anteaters, giant otters, tapirs, hyacinth macaws, caimans, and many more.
Imagine a young male jaguar in the tropical Central American forests looking for a mate. In theory, he could roam from Mexico to Argentina, ensuring that the genetic pool is mixed for a good continuation of the species. In practice, he would have to go through rivers and mountains, but also human-made obstacles such as roads, cities, agricultural fields and other open areas that hinder travel.
The earth is made up of many large landscapes and seascapes that support animal life. But parks and other protected areas alone are not enough to sustain healthy wildlife populations in the face of a changing climate and increasing human development. Fragmented habitat isolates and weakens animal populations and puts them at greater risk of extinction. It is more essential now than ever that we preserve or restore corridors—or connections between natural areas—before it’s too late.
The Network for Landscape Conservation is pleased to announce 13 grant awards for Partnerships working to implement community-grounded conservation at the necessary landscape scale. The funding support will enable each of these Partnerships to accelerate their efforts to build enduring, place-based, collaborative conservation efforts that protect the ecological, cultural, and community health of the landscapes they call home.
This Technical Report provides an overview of practical, feasible science-based strategies for PCA managers, transport practitioners, industry, conservationists and other stakeholders interested in biodiversity and ecological connectivity conservation in, and adjacent to, PCAs. It identifies effective solutions that can be used in a variety of contexts around the world and promotes best practices for the
Connecting landscape-scale conservation partnerships through a national network will be essential to achieving the Biden Administration’s ambitious goals around biodiversity (“30 x 30” initiative), equity, and climate change. This report commissioned by the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and the Alaska Conservation Foundation provides recommendations for building back a better national framework that supports landscape conservation efforts
“Land use-induced spillover: a call to action to safeguard environmental, animal, and human health” was published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health. The authors call for interdisciplinary collaborations to advance knowledge on land-use implications for zoonotic disease emergence with a view toward informing the decisions needed to protect human health. Lancet Planetary Health
This study is the first systematic, evidence-based assessment of whether connectivity conservation plans (CCPs) result in conservation outcomes and what attributes of plans favor successful implementation. By gathering CCPs from around the world, characterizing attributes by surveying and conducting interviews with plan authors, analyses suggest that implementation of a CCP was enhanced by several tools,
This report analyzes the public policy discussion in Montana regarding wildlife migration and the protection of wildlife corridors. The authors then provide recommendations for decision-makers who seek to address the issue and engage the public.
A list of state agency-supported wildlife infrastructure projects that, upon receiving necessary federal funding, would create jobs, aid local economies, and create smart infrastructure to protect wildlife and people.
