Yellowstone National Park in the western United States is a crucial landscape populated by iconic species like bison, wolves, grizzly bears, elk and pronghorn that are part of the largest concentration of wildlife in the lower 48 states. Kafue National Park in Zambia is, similarly, a stronghold of biodiversity and hosts elephants, lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, and antelope, which all roam the vast landscape. 

Despite being thousands of miles apart, Kafue and Yellowstone share similar challenges: major roadways cut through critical habitat and impact wildlife movement. Growing traffic volume, speed, and through-traffic intensify these impacts, increasing the risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions, impacting movement patterns and fragmenting vital wildlife corridors. As a result, animals are often forced to cross dangerous roads to access food, water, and seasonal ranges—putting both wildlife and people at risk. 

CLLC has completed highway assessments alongside our partners in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE)—encompassing Yellowstone National Park and surrounding public and private lands in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho—and Kafue National Park to better understand the impact of these roads on wildlife and what we can do to mitigate those impacts. 

In 2021, a team of scientists including CLLC staff members conducted the US-191/MT-64 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment, gathering local and expert knowledge, public data, citizen science, and engineering expertise to identify 11 priority sites where mitigation measures—such as culverts, bridges, underpasses, overpasses, animal detection systems, and fencing—can improve the safety of roads for travelers and wildlife. 

“In some places, the topography lends itself better to an overpass versus an underpass,” said Elizabeth Fairbank, road ecologist with the Center. “There’s lots of recommendations for things like bridge retrofits or reconstructing a bridge at the end of its lifespan with a much larger structure, and that can benefit not only terrestrial wildlife, but also river and stream health.”  

Fairbank says that a crossing structure with fencing is the gold standard to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions by 80 to 90 percent while still maintaining habitat connectivity for wildlife but they’re not appropriate or feasible everywhere due to engineering or financial constraints or if the species of concern does not easily use crossing structures. 

In the GYE, many of the iconic species that live in the park are wide-ranging and make use of public and private lands around the park, crossing roads like US-191 and navigating other human infrastructure like fencing to do so. 

“Migratory species, like elk, are having to cross busy highways in the GYE seasonally, every year,” Fairbank said. “It’s a major issue impacting their ability to reach the resources that they need like food, water, shelter and mates to survive.” 

Elk that have been struck by vehicles are an all-too-common sight on US-191, something that CLLC is trying to change with efforts to advance crossings in an elk collision hotspot—one of the priority sites identified in the assessment. The assessment has led directly to tangible plans to build a wildlife overpass and underpass at this location. 

In Kafue National Park, the M9 highway that bisects the park presents a similar barrier to wildlife looking for water, food and mates. CLLC staff members traveled to Zambia in April 2024 to launch a comprehensive assessment of the highway in the park with the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP) and Greater Kafue Landscape Ltd. (GKLL), a joint venture of Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DWNP) and African Parks (AP). 

The project’s aim was to understand exactly where and how the M9 is putting wildlife at risk. For example, the assessment data showed that wildlife-vehicle collisions and wildlife activity are concentrated where the road passes by water sources.  

“It’s important to keep track of the road’s negative impacts on the wildlife populations, and to be able to provide concrete, science-backed recommendations for how to reduce those impacts for both wildlife and people,” said Dr. Catherine Sun, Senior Quantitative Ecologist with the ZCP who worked on the project. 

According to Fernanda Teixeira, Linear Infrastructure Ecology Advisor with CLLC, the methodology for this assessment was very similar to that of the assessment completed in the GYE. Using a combination of citizen science, wildlife surveys, roadkill data and collaring, many layers of data were combined to pinpoint priority sites along the M9 where mitigation actions should be designed and implemented.  

Some of the immediate priorities identified include speed reduction and control backed by the presence of law enforcement. Some longer-term actions include relocating water sources formed during construction activities away from the road and restricting nighttime truck traffic. If these measures are introduced, they will have the potential to reduce wildlife mortality, enhance wildlife movement and improve road safety.

“Kafue is a huge national park with lots of important species like elephants, lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs,” Teixeira said. “But, the reality is, persistence of the wildlife populations in the region is not guaranteed because these animals are being killed on a road within the park.” 

The Zambian government has long known that the M9 has had an impact on Kafue wildlife populations. The new report helped them to narrow down where to implement speed reduction measures on the M9 to have the most impact. While this alone will not prevent collisions, it is a good first step in a longer-term effort. 

“This study has been an incredible project, and we are hoping to continue monitoring roadkill on the M9 with a systematic approach,” Sun said. “Long-term monitoring reveals a wealth about how wildlife persists on the landscape, sometimes in relatively wild habitat but also in places with increasing human impact. Being able to track the patterns and responses of wildlife through time is critical to providing effective conservation.” 

CLLC will continue working in both locales on future monitoring efforts to assess the effectiveness of mitigation measures that have been implemented and support the establishment of more crossings to provide safe passage for people and wildlife alike. 

_{Top photo: African wild dogs in the road, Kafue National Park – Credit: Zambian Carnivore Programme}

The post From Yellowstone to Zambia: Protecting Safe Passage for Wildlife appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

Across deciduous and evergreen forests, lakes, streams and wetlands, working farms and timber lands, Québec, Canada is enormously rich in ecological diversity. However, pressures from people—residential and commercial development, climate change, and pollution—increasingly threaten the biodiversity that depends on intact habitats. Black bears and eastern wolves need wide swaths of land in their home ranges to find food and mates, wood turtles rely on unfragmented corridors to safely reach water sources, and migratory birds need stepping stones of habitat for their seasonal movements.

While habitat fragmentation is a constant risk, ecological connectivity may be the antidote: the “unimpeded movement of species, connection of habitats without hindrance and the flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth.” Ecological corridors, as the physical spaces which sustain connectivity for living beings as they traverse from one core habitat to another, are thus a key conservation strategy now being used in Québec for upholding long-term ecological health.

Building partnerships for corridors

Since April 2023, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) has been working alongside the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and partners of the Québec Ecological Corridors Initiative (QECI) to advance planning and implementation of ecological corridors across the province. 

This partnership is a natural fit. By working together, CLLC, NCC, and three local NGOs as a cohort for this pilot project saw the dual opportunity to bolster long-standing efforts of the QECI to designate formalized corridors in a stakeholder-led, collaborative manner, while simultaneously implementing the IUCN Guidelines for conserving connectivity through ecological networks and corridors. These Guidelines were published in 2020 by the IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group, for which CLLC serves as Secretariat, and has since been used to guide corridor planning in Romania, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and now Québec. This effort is the most comprehensive and collaborative application of the IUCN Guidelines since their publication.

Within the QECI, ecological corridors have varying objectives, rightsholders and stakeholders, and kinds of data available. QECI was launched in 2017 by NCC to accelerate learning and action among many local groups interested in conserving corridors throughout the province. The group offers a collective approach to land use planning and advises provincial and municipal governments, woodlot owners, farmers, and other key stakeholders. The group also carries out mobilization, capacity building, recognition, and support activities throughout southern Québec.

Within the scope of the CLLC-QECI partnership, three pilot corridors were identified to undertake collaborative planning towards creation of management and monitoring plans: Mauricie, Plaisance-to-Tremblant, and Oka-to-Tremblant. These plans will detail the specific actions landowners and managers should take to maintain or restore connectivity: everything from removing barbed-wire fencing to allow free passage of wildlife to restoring streambank vegetation to improve riparian habitat.

• The Mauricie Corridor links Mauricie National Park with other intact habitats in south-central Québec along the Saint Lawrence River, a complex mosaic of public, private, and developed land crisscrossed by wetlands and forests rich with species from wolves and bears to turtles and salamanders. This project is led by Environnement Mauricie.
• The Plaisance-to-Tremblant Corridor traverses the Laurentians from Mont Tremblant National Park to Plaisance National Park — an expanse of land dotted with agriculture, timber, smaller protected areas, and popular with recreationists. This project is lead by Le Conseil régional de l’environnement et du développement durable de l’Outaouais (CREDDO) and Éco-corridors laurentiens.
• The Oka-to-Tremblant Corridor, also located in the Laurentians, seeks to link Oka National Park to Tremblant National Park. This project is led by Éco-corridors laurentiens.

In all three corridors, a two-phase approach is being taken. In Phase 1, local NGO and regional partners are hosting workshops with a broad swath of stakeholders to gather input on the corridor’s objectives, values, threats, and governance. (To see an example, peruse this connectivity plan from Mauricie). Phase 2 focuses on specific management actions to achieve the corridors’ objectives, and monitoring schemes to track certain indicators of progress. 

Policy mandates for improved connectivity

The timing of this project is serendipitous. In December, 2024, new Guidelines for Spatial Planning of the gouvernement du Québec (Orientations gouvernementales en aménagement du territoire, OGAT) came into effect which strengthen the policy mandate to identify ecological corridors and compatible uses in regional land use plans.

Under the terms of the updated OGAT, regional governments are expected to identify and manage for ecological corridors based on ecological importance and factors such as forest cover. Land use plans are also required to stipulate “compatible uses” — ways that people can use the land without hindering ecological connectivity. ” Additionally, counties are invited to “promote the creation of wildlife passages (aquatic and terrestrial)” when repairing or constructing new roads.

As updated land use plans are written and reviewed, now is the opportunity for ecological corridors to take center stage in meeting conservation objectives. Co-produced management and monitoring plans are coming to life throughout the Québec Ecological Corridors Initiative just as the policy environment is most ripe for turning collaborative ideals into enforceable action.

Meanwhile, a toolbox for the counties and municipalities is currently being updated. It presents a range of tools that enable counties and municipalities to plan for ecological connectivity. It also includes examples of municipalities and regional county municipalities (MRCs) that have utilized some of these measures. Local NGOs who form the QECI are also active in the field supporting MRCs in integrating connectivity considerations.

As the Québec Ecological Corridors Initiative and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation continue their work, the progress made over the past two years is laying a strong foundation for long-term ecological connectivity. With new policy mandates supporting corridor identification, management, and monitoring there is a valuable opportunity to integrate conservation goals into regional planning. Momentum at this provincial scale is complemented by the Canadian federal government. Across the country, Parks Canada is providing funding and scientific capacity through the National Program for Ecological Corridors.

By combining scientific inputs, stakeholder collaboration, and policy frameworks, this partnership is helping to establish practical approaches for maintaining, enhancing, and restoring connectivity across Québec’s landscapes. These efforts also serve as a replicable model for other regions in Canada and around the world, demonstrating how coordinated planning can support both biodiversity and sustainable land use. The next steps will focus on refining management and monitoring plans to ensure these strategies remain effective over time.

Top photo: American Marten. Credit: NPS/Jacob W. Frank

The post Collaborative Planning for Ecological Connectivity in Québec appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

At the heart of the Greater Kafue Ecosystem in Western Zambia is the 22,000-square-kilometer Kafue National Park. This is Zambia’s oldest and largest park, at twice the size of Yellowstone National Park in the USA. Kafue is home to a wide range of iconic wildlife, including elephants, lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, and Africa’s most diverse antelope community.

This protected area faces many significant threats, but most concerning is the M9—a high-speed highway that bisects or borders 143 kilometers of the park and adjacent Mumbwa Game Management Area. The M9 is notorious for wildlife-vehicle collisions, including the death of 11 endangered African wild dogs to vehicle collisions in 2022. But the Center for Large Landscape Conservation is working to change this with a newly launched project. 

Roads are lifelines of modern civilization, facilitating transportation and economic development. However, their construction and expansion can have profound consequences on wildlife and ecosystems. As asphalt ribbons weave through landscapes, they fragment habitats, disrupt migration routes, and increase the risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions. While these impacts are concerning for all species, they are particularly dire for endangered species of wildlife. When these imperiled creatures reside near roads, minimizing road impacts becomes not just a conservation goal, but a critical imperative for safeguarding their survival. 

In April 2024, Megan Parker and Melissa Butynski from the Center for Large Landscape Conservation traveled to Zambia to launch the project ‘A Road Runs Through It.’ It is a new collaborative effort between the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), and Greater Kafue Landscape Ltd., a joint venture of Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DWNP) and African Parks (AP). 

The project aims to quantify the impact that the M9 is having on wildlife populations in Kafue, and assess and recommend mitigation options to reduce the negative impact of the M9 Highway on wildlife in Zambia’s Kafue National Park and Greater Kafue Ecosystem. 

Once on the ground, Megan and Melissa met with the ZCP team at their camp to finalize the protocol for a systematic roadkill data collection effort which will take place over the next year. The ZCP camp is nestled along the banks of the Kafue River, surrounded by trees and looking out into the vast savannah.

Up before dawn, the team piled into the car to make their way to the starting point for the first test of the M9 survey protocol. The team was joined by a very special guest, Dr. Vincent Nyirenda of Copperbelt University. Dr. Nyirenda has conducted a previous survey on road kills of wild vertebrates in Kafue National Park between January 2008 and December 2012, and thus has invaluable insight.

During the next few hours, the team drove along at a steady 30-40 kilometers per hour as observers searched for live animals within 50 meters of the roads edge, as well as roadkill. When a carcass is detected, the location, species, age class and gender are recorded, along with the characteristics of the kill site. These include status of the roadside vegetation, evidence of fire, habitat, nearby attractants such as green grass or human garbage, and presence of scavengers.

The team saw a variety of roadkill during this first survey, including eight nightjars, two small owls, a bushbaby, a snake, and two hares. The team discussed and refined the protocol throughout this process alongside Luckson Banda of the ZCP, who will lead the systematic roadkill survey effort. 

Driving along the M9 after months of building the project concept back at the Center’s offices in Montana was a surreal and rewarding moment for both Megan and Melissa. With incredible on-the-ground partners and the urgent need for solutions evident with every roadkill sighting, the team at the Center is excited to kick this project off with the goal of making the M9 safer for both people and wildlife. 

_{Photo, top: Young male lion in Kafue National Park. Credit: Adobe Stock}

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Roughly 50% of all highway accidents on US 89 north of Yellowstone National Park—between Livingston and Gardiner, Montana—are wildlife related. In response to this growing and dangerous problem, a locally led partnership called Yellowstone Safe Passages (YSP) just took a major step toward finding solutions by completing a comprehensive assessment of wildlife-vehicle collisions on this stretch of highway, conducted by the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and YSP partners.

US 89 extends the length of Paradise Valley and the Gardiner Basin, connecting drivers to Yellowstone National Park. Drivers have hit bison, grizzly bears, elk, deer, moose, and more. These accidents are usually fatal for the animal and pose a serious threat to human safety.

But as Center for Large Landscape Conservation Road Ecologist Liz Fairbank explains, it is more than a major safety issue. 

“Wildlife traverse the entire valley, often having to cross US 89 to reach vital habitat to the east, west, and south, including Yellowstone National Park and vast swaths of national forest on both the east and west sides of the valley,” says Fairbank. “If they can’t move freely, they might miss out on the food and water sources they need to survive, or on finding mates to help sustain their population.”

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation conducted the US 89 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment alongside Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute and Montana Freshwater Partners. The recently published assessment details the results of the study, and provides recommendations for possible solutions that could reduce the number of animals struck each year, make the highway safer for drivers, maintain wildlife movement, and even restore access to habitat for some species. 

More than 10 years of data from multiple public agencies was provided for analysis in the assessment. In addition, for three years area residents participated as citizen scientists using the ROaDS Tool (Roadkill Observation and Data System) via a smartphone app to record observations of live or dead wildlife along US 89. During that same timespan, a field technician traveled the highway each week to collect additional data and to verify and confirm the observations made by citizen scientists. 

The assessment overlays data on human safety, wildlife mortality from collisions, wildlife movement, and habitat connectivity to identify the most important areas along the highway to consider for mitigation measures. Then these areas were then further evaluated by the researchers and an interagency technical team. The assessment also evaluated all culverts underneath the highway to identify where improvements may be needed for fish passage or to increase the potential of the culverts to serve as safe crossings for small or medium sized species. 

“Overall, the assessment identified seven priority sites and a suite of potential solutions for each one ranging from new wildlife crossings—overpasses and underpasses—to retrofits to existing structures, animal detection systems, and fencing,” says Fairbank. “It outlines options for each site, including some short-term measures as well as longer-term solutions such as large crossing structures combined with fencing that may be eligible for federal funding.” 

The Common Ground Project originally convened Yellowstone Safe Passages in 2019 to bring together citizens who live, work, and play in the Upper Yellowstone Watershed to explore what could be done about the growing problem of wildlife-vehicle collisions. Since its founding, YSP has gathered an impressive cross-section of partners—including public agencies and officials, private foundations and conservation groups, anglers, and local land and business owners—that demonstrates that the community is invested in finding solutions. 

The founding members of YSP include representatives from the Common Ground Project, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, National Parks Conservation Association, and Park County Environmental Council.

The comprehensive assessment and a shorter “Key Findings” document are now available online, and Yellowstone Safe Passages plans to share the results of the assessment with residents of Park County, Montana, via community information sessions in the spring of 2024. 

For more information, visit yellowstonesafepassages.org/highway-assessment 

Funding for the US 89 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment was provided by AMB West Conservation Fund, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, and Yellowstone Safe Passages.

_{Top photo: A herd of elk crosses US 89. Credit: Hallie Rugheimer}

The post Assessment Identifies Opportunities to Reduce Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions on US 89 North of Yellowstone appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

NEWS RELEASE

September 28, 2023

Bozeman, MT ─ The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is home to the largest concentration of wildlife in the lower 48 states. But as the numbers of area residents and annual visitors have grown, so has the incidence of wildlife-vehicle collisions. On US Highway 191 (US-191) through and around Yellowstone National Park, large mammals like elk and deer are hit with increasing frequency and rising traffic volumes make it harder for wildlife to access habitat on either side. To address these problems, a team from the nonprofit Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) and Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute (WTI) embarked upon a two-year study to better understand wildlife movement and improve road safety along this busy route.

The US-191/MT-64 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment, which was published today, identifies 11 “priority sites,” where highway mitigation measures—such as culverts, underpasses, overpasses, animal detection systems, traffic-calming measures, and fencing—could improve the safety of travelers and wildlife.

US-191 between West Yellowstone and Four Corners, Montana, winds along the Gallatin River and passes through national forest and national park lands, providing travelers access to Yellowstone National Park. MT-64 (Lone Mountain Trail) leads to the community of Big Sky along the way. The Montana Department of Transportation and Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team documented 1,322 animal carcasses from 2011-2020 in this study area. According to estimates from a recent national study, these collisions cost more than $27 million in personal injury and property damage. This figure soars to over $60 million if the passive use value of wildlife—which includes the ability of species to remain on the landscape—is included.

“Collisions involving wildlife make up 24% of all reported crashes on US-191 between Four Corners and Beaver Creek.* That’s nearly five times the national average,” says CLLC Road Ecologist Elizabeth Fairbank, who co-authored the study.

“The study’s data show that we have a stretch of highway that not only poses a safety risk to people and wildlife, but also fragments habitat, all at a significant cost to the public,” explains Fairbank. “As the road’s traffic volume continues to increase, animals are less likely to be able to cross the road safely, increasing collision risk and reducing the ability of wildlife to move freely to access the resources they need to thrive and survive.”

Dr. Marcel Huijser, senior scientist for WTI and study co-author said that the assessment team synthesized data from multiple public agencies to identify particularly troublesome areas for safety and wildlife movement.

“We overlaid information on wildlife-vehicle collisions, animal carcass counts, wildlife movement, and suitable habitat, and identified sites where potential mitigation measures could improve road safety and connectivity for wildlife,” says Huijser.

Citizen scientists from local communities played a key role in the effort by reporting sightings of live or dead wildlife using a smartphone app from the Roadkill Observation and Data System (ROaDS) that was developed by WTI and managed by CLLC for the project.

“Once we analyzed the data, our research team conducted field visits with representatives of federal, state and county agencies with expertise in wildlife, engineering and transportation planning,” said Huijser. “We did this to help confirm the priority locations that would benefit most from mitigation measures to protect wildlife and motorists, and how they would fit into the landscape given the topography, streams and rivers, and land use.”

The assessment considered not just terrestrial wildlife, but also the ability of fish to pass through culverts underneath the road. The aquatic research was led by WTI hydraulic engineer Dr. Matthew Blank, who evaluated the potential “barrier effect” of 53 culverts along streams under US-191 and MT-64. Upsizing culverts to improve fish passage can provide co-benefits for other wildlife as well as make infrastructure more resilient to extreme weather events and high stream flows. 

“There are often opportunities when you create larger, wider fish passage structures, to provide safe passage for terrestrial species as well,” said Blank.

The full report on the assessment is available online, and the Center for Large Landscape Conservation will share the key findings with Gallatin County residents through a series of Community Information Sessions in Big Sky, Gallatin Gateway, and West Yellowstone. Together with elected officials and public agencies, area communities will determine how to act on the assessment’s findings. If they choose to pursue wildlife accommodation measures, they could apply for federal funding through various programs, including the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, a competitive grant program continuing through fiscal year 2026.

Infrastructure design and implementation processes often take five years or more to make it through the programming, feasibility, design, and funding phases that are necessary prior to construction. Thus, the assessment describes shorter-term measures—that could be enacted within two to five years—as well as longer-term options for each priority site.

“This is an important first step in a long process. It is going to be a multi-year effort involving many different partners,” says Fairbank. “There is no quick fix but, in the end, a variety of measures put in place over time will make these roads safer for travelers and wildlife, while improving habitat connectivity.”

The assessment was funded by the Big Sky Resort Area District, Moonlight Community Foundation, Yellowstone Club Community Foundation, The Volgenau Foundation, and the Small Urban, Rural and Tribal Center on Mobility (SURTCOM).

For more information: largelandscapes.org/191

^{*Montana Department of Transportation (2020)}

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation

The Montana-based Center for Large Landscape Conservation advances ecological connectivity for climate resilience worldwide through science, policy, practice, and collaboration. largelandscapes.org

About the Western Transportation Institute

The Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University is the country’s largest university-based research center focused on rural transportation issues. westerntransportationinstitute.org

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Contact: Christine Weinheimer, Communications Manager, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, communications@largelandscapes.org

Photos, top to bottom: Elk in oncoming traffic in US-191 – courtesy of Holly Pippel; US-191 and the Gallatin River near Big Sky, MT – Adobe Stock; US-191/MT-64 Wildlife & Transportation Assessment report cover.

The post Researchers Identify Options to Reduce Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions on US-191 in Montana appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

NEWS RELEASE

September 13, 2023

Bozeman, MT ─ As our nation’s highways get bigger and busier, wildlife habitat and populations become more fragmented, and wild animals find it increasingly difficult to safely cross roads. The wildlife-vehicle collisions that kill more than one million large mammals each year in the U.S. also cause hundreds of human fatalities and tens of thousands of injuries. To help address this dangerous problem to both wildlife and people, the nonprofit Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute, and Dr. David Theobald with Conservation Planning Technologies have published the results of the West-Wide Study to Identify Important Highway Locations for Wildlife Crossings.  

The study highlights road segments in 11 western states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. It takes a fresh approach by integrating ecological, economic, and safety considerations to identify the sections of highway across the West that are best served by future wildlife crossings with fencing. 

“This study is unique,” explains Kylie Paul, road ecologist at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and co-author of the study. “Rather than primarily focusing on wildlife-vehicle collision locations, we used several factors to highlight locations where building a wildlife crossing structure might address conservation needs and cost savings, in addition to the standard focus on human safety. Additionally, we looked across the West and at states individually to help provide a regional context,” says Paul.  

It is one of the first studies to look at all western states with a consistent regional methodological approach, providing comparable analyses for each state. It offers information to help federal and state agencies and other stakeholders focus in on areas to further examine where wildlife crossings can be deployed. Other studies have been conducted in individual states and this new West-wide study is meant to complement or supplement previous analyses. Those studies may have finer-scale and local data that may highlight different locations and capture local context not considered here, and this study is not meant to replace or outweigh those locations.

The study finds that wildlife-vehicle collisions with species like deer cost a minimum of $1.6 billion per year across the western U.S.  “Implementing wildlife crossings—underpasses or overpasses with fencing—more extensively could significantly reduce roadways’ impacts on wildlife,” says study co-author Matthew Bell, research engineer at the Western Transportation Institute. Bell explains that the study used updated collision and wildlife crossing structure economic cost values to highlight locations where the cost of building a crossing structure is less expensive than the cost of letting wildlife-vehicle collisions continue.  

“We showed that in several hundred locations across the West, constructing a crossing structure and fencing would actually be cheaper over the long-term than doing nothing, while also enhancing wildlife conservation efforts,” says Bell.  

The study comes at a time of increased interest, momentum, and policies for building wildlife crossings and implementing other mitigation measures in the U.S., including $350 million in federal funding from the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program, part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 

The three main components of the study are available online and include the full report containing both the West-wide analysis and 11 individual state analyses, plus a mapping website where users can examine the results at a variety of scales, select different map layers of interest, and download the data.  

The West-Wide Study was funded in part by a generous grant from The Volgenau Foundation.

For more information and to view full report: largelandscapes.org/west-wide-study 

About the Authors

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation advances ecological connectivity for climate resilience worldwide through science, policy, practice, and collaboration. largelandscapes.org

The Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University is the country’s largest university based research center focused on rural transportation issues. westerntransportationinstitute.org

Dr. David Theobald is a science advisor to the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and a research scientist at Conservation Planning Technologies in Fort Collins, Colorado, a company which he founded in 2013.

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Contact: Christine Weinheimer, Communications Manager, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, communications@largelandscapes.org

Photos, top to bottom: Wildlife crossing, U.S. Route 95 in Nevada – Adobe Stock; Example of wildlife overpass, aerial view – Adobe Stock

The post New Study Identifies Important Highway Locations for Wildlife Crossings in 11 Western U.S. States appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

Like most tropical wildlife, Gibbons are threatened by linear infrastructure development (roads, railways, canals, powerlines, etc.) and forest fragmentation. Twenty gibbon species occur exclusively throughout Asia, and they are some of the most threatened animal groups across the globe; 19 out of 20 species are classified as Endangered or Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Peninsular Malaysia is home to three gibbon species: the siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus), the white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar), and the agile gibbon (Hylobates agilis), all of which are classified as Endangered. Linear infrastructure has been identified as one of the main reasons for the decline in gibbon populations. These structures fragment and isolate forest habitats, making it more difficult for gibbons to move and find suitable territories, mates, and food sources.

With the support of the Center for Large Landscape Conservation, scientists are working to find solutions that conserve connectivity and allow gibbons to move freely across roads. At the 2^nd Asia Parks Congress in 2022, staff from the Center met Ben Galea, a PhD student at Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Biological Sciences, and first learned of his work. Through a grant from the Center to the Malaysian Primatological Society, Ben is conducting a research project called ‘Canopy bridges to facilitate the safe movement of small apes across habitat fragments in Peninsular Malaysia.’ This research contributes to the effective design, placement, and construction of artificial canopy bridges, which allow animals to safely cross over roads and can help restore connectivity.

Ben’s project focuses on a population of white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar) in the Beserah Forest Complex of Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. This study site is a complex of isolated forest patches surrounded by residential and industrial zones and tourism hotspots. Multi-lane roads separate each forest patch.

To study Gibbon movement, Ben and his colleagues are taking advantage of the primates’ impressive vocalizations. An essential component of the project is piloting the use of passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) and camera traps. They monitor the presence, distribution, and occupancy of gibbon groups in the study area before and after the installation of canopy bridges. This approach not only helps determine the optimal locations for the canopy bridges and map potential core habitat linkages, but also allows them to use individual- or pair-specific acoustic signatures—vocalizations that have unique and consistent patterns—to monitor populations and calling behaviors. (Scroll down to the bottom of this page to hear a gibbon “singing”!)

Through using both sight and sound, they can monitor animal activity before and after they cross the bridges and travel out from the camera traps’ field of view. Over time, the project will experiment with different designs for canopy bridges based on gibbon distribution and behavior. Engineers and arborists will help with final designs to allow white-handed gibbons and other arboreal animals to use the bridges safely. By providing a safe crossing above roads, canopy bridges reduce the impacts of fragmentation and reduce the risk of vehicles hitting gibbons in the rare event that the animals descend to the ground to cross.

As infrastructure development accelerates in Peninsular Malaysia, canopy bridges will become more important in ensuring the long-term survival of arboreal animals. By assessing the behavior and social interactions of gibbons living in areas targeted for re-connection, Ben and his colleagues can monitor the long-term impact of these bridges on animal groups. This information can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the bridges and document any changes in the behavior or distribution of the animals that benefit from them. Ultimately, this will lead to even more effective use of canopy bridges to reconnect fragmented forests.

Play video clip to hear a white-handed gibbon “singing” in Kuantan, Malaysia!

Video by Melissa Butynski/CLLC

The post Transforming Gibbons’ Commutes: Researching Canopy Bridges in Peninsular Malaysia appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

NEWS RELEASE

Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Convention on Migratory Species, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas’ Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group, WWF

Sharm El-Sheikh, 18 November: WWF, the Center for Large Landscape Conservation and the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas’ Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group today launched a new initiative to conserve nature’s connections: Wildlife Connect.

The initiative aims to secure ecological connectivity, defined by the Convention on Migratory Species as the “unimpeded movement of species and the flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth.” From great migrations of wildlife across landscapes and continents to river flows from mountain to sea, nature’s circulatory system of connections is essential for a healthy planet. Yet they are rapidly disappearing, destabilizing ecosystems and the essential benefits they provide for us all.

The Wildlife Connect initiative was launched at the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) [VIDEO below], as connecting lands, inland waters and seas is critical to avert some of the most catastrophic impacts of climate change. Focusing on ecological corridors and networks as nature-based solutions to climate change contributes greatly to climate mitigation and adaptation measures, while providing enormous benefit to nature.

Speaking during the launch event, Amy Fraenkel, the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species, said, “Ecological Connectivity is not only vital for migratory species, it also plays a key role in climate change adaptation and ensures the resilience of species and entire ecosystems.”

Governments at the event announced their own efforts to tackle this challenge, such as Canada’s new CAN$60 million program on ecological corridors, Bhutan’s creation of a protected network of corridors across the whole country, and the French government’s new international coalition on biological corridors in Africa.  

Experts at the event revealed that as little as 9% of Earth’s terrestrial habitats may at present be adequately connected. That habitat destruction and fragmentation remain the primary threats to biodiversity. And that if unprecedented action is not taken, loss of ecological connectivity will lead to disruption of ecological processes, our ability to adapt to climate change, and may lead to another pandemic. 

“The challenge of our time will be building ecologically connected networks of protected and conserved areas that allow wildlife to move to complete their life cycles and adapt to climate change,” said Margaret Kinnaird, Leader Wildlife Practice, WWF International. “And it’s not just about wildlife – ecological connectivity contributes to carbon sequestration by maintaining ecosystem services such as pollination, seed and nutrient dispersal and the clean water on which we all depend. The UNFCCC has a hugely important role to play in ensuring we protect, maintain and restore ecological connectivity as one of many solutions to mitigating and adapting to climate change.”

“Fragmentation is one of the biggest threats to the planet and connectivity conservation links people, places, and species to better harmonize work to save the atmosphere and biosphere,” said Gary Tabor, President and Founder, Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC), and Chair, IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group (CCSG). “Connectivity conservation is an available and practical tool that protects biodiversity and the climate.”

“We know what we need to do to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, and deliver a nature positive future. We must protect the natural spaces left on the planet, and restore as much as we can of what we have destroyed. But we also need to ensure the necessary connectivity for wildlife and ecosystems to adapt, particularly in response to climate change impacts which are making habitats unsuitable or increasing competition for resources,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General, WWF International. “It is vital for species to be able to move pole-wards, to higher altitudes, or simply across suitable habitats. Preserving and restoring connectivity between landscapes will be crucial to maintain both ecosystem and biodiversity health, with all the climate, economic and human wellbeing benefits this brings.” 

While the ambition of the initiative is global, Wildlife Connect will coalesce around four demonstration landscapes, one each in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. The landscapes will be laboratories of innovation, where partners will come together to engage, co-create and pilot novel solutions to the most intractable problems that are severing connectivity. The initiative will contribute to bending the curve of biodiversity loss, as well as securing the ecosystem services that we all depend on.

With the launch of the initiative, WWF, CLLC and IUCN WCPA-CCSG are urging world leaders to at least double public finance for adaptation and consider focusing on adaptation in ecological corridors and networks. By taking account of risks and benefits for ecological connectivity, decisions on climate finance and climate action can enhance mitigation and adaptation outcomes through strengthened ecosystem resilience, while maximizing biodiversity co-benefits. 

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Note to Editors:

Governments at the launch event of Wildlife Connect were represented by Inter alia:

• Ronan Dantec, Senator of Loire Atlantique, France & President of Climate Change
• Catherine Stewart, Canada’s Ambassador for Climate Change
• Sonam Dagay, Ministry of Agriculture & Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan

Other recent government commitments on connectivity include:

• The launch by the Tanzanian government of the Wildlife Corridors Assessment, Prioritization and Action Plan to restore, protect and strengthen the conservation of wildlife corridors across the country. 
• The US government commitment of US$9.5 million to restore habitat connectivity for aquatic species around the US. 

For further information:

• Wildlife Connect website and briefing
• Explainer: Why connectivity matters to people and wildlife
• WWF Manifesto for UNFCCC CoP27

Contact Details: 

Marco Lambertini, Director General WWF International and Rafael Antelo, Wildlife Connect Leader are on the ground at Sharm El-Sheikh and available for interviews. Please get in touch with Rafael Antelo (WhatsApp +591 77339633) for more details. 

Center for Large Landscape Conservation: Christine Gianas Weinheimer, christine@largelandscapes.org

About WWF 

WWF is an independent conservation organization, with over 30 million followers and a global network active in nearly 100 countries. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Visit panda.org/news for the latest news and media resources; follow us on Twitter @WWF_media

About the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC)

CLLC protects life on Earth by promoting ecological connectivity to support healthy wildlife habitats and safeguard nature’s resilience to climate change. Learn more at: largelandscapes.org 

About the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas’ Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group (IUCN WCPA-CCSG)

IUCN WCPA–CCSG’s goal is to facilitate global collaboration and action of individuals, communities, and institutions to maintain, enhance, and restore ecological connectivity across intact and fragmented terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Find out more about IUCN WCPA CCSG here.

About the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)

An environmental treaty of the United Nations, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. This unique treaty brings governments and wildlife experts together to address the conservation needs of terrestrial, aquatic, and avian migratory species and their habitats around the world. Since the Convention’s entry into force in 1979, its membership has grown steadily to include 133 Parties from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Find out more about CMS here:  www.cms.int

Photo, top: Aerial view of the Blue Wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) migration. Up to 1.5 million wildebeest move through the Mara/Serengeti ecosystem each year. This is one of the world’s last great animal migrations. Masai Mara National Reserve. Kenya. ©Martin Harvey/WWF

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People who are cat people know that cats have their own agenda. People who are dog people recognize that dogs want to share their agendas with you. We get to mix these agendas when working a detection dog to find scat from an elusive cat in Costa Rica. In the high forests of this beautiful country, hide a suite of cat species—from jaguar and cougar, to ocelot, margay and jaguarundi. And while always there, but rarely seen, is a small, spotted, nocturnal cat called oncilla. So little is known of this cat, that their scat—or poop—holds precious genetic information that can help us learn more about this declining species, and well… dogs are good at finding hard-to-find things and telling us about it.

Finding animal scat gives us a wealth of information and, with a rare cat, can tell us a lot about what we need to do to preserve the forests where it lives and what risks it faces. The Center for Large Landscape Conservation provided support for recent field work in Costa Rica to learn more about these wild cats, the corridors they use, conservation planning with communities, and the threats that oncilla and other animals face from the roads fragmenting their habitat in this country. On this trip, we had critical assistance from our specially trained detection dog, Tule, to help find clues to understand where and how the oncilla lives.

Oncillas (Leopardus tigrinis oncilla) have been seen by local people occasionally and are sometimes found hit by cars, along with other wildlife, on the many roads that snake through Costa Rica. Recently, camera traps have revealed that these cats, also called northern tiger cats, live in high elevation cloud forests, out of reach of most human visitors and larger predators. These are forests where little development has occurred, however the lower mountains and valleys are filled with risks to oncilla travelling between high mountain habitats.

In the spring of 2022, we traveled from Montana to Costa Rica to work with José Daniel Ramírez-Fernández. José runs the Oncilla Project for the Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation (CRWF)—a nonprofit focused on learning about and protecting the country’s wildlife and promoting citizens’ appreciation of their land and animals. He and his team are working across the country with collaborators to determine the range, food, habits, and requirements of oncilla and working with communities to help prevent conflicts, as oncilla do eat chickens.

We had worked with José and his team in 2021, through Working Dogs for Conservation, to survey for oncilla scat with Tule. Due to early rains, we did find scats that year, but not as many as we hoped, due to many impassable trails. This year, we went as volunteers for the oncilla project and ambassadors for ecological connectivity for the Center. As in the year previous, Tule led surveys in areas across Costa Rica where José had camera traps set to capture images of oncilla, and where he determined were the best locations to collect scat.

Tule is trained to find fecal samples from oncilla and to ignore all the other tempting odors in the forest. These samples contain genetic information to help determine the differences between this oncilla and other cats in Latin America. Genetic information informs conservation planning in understanding the genetic diversity, size, and range of a population of rare species.

The realities of field work are far from glamorous, and this trip began with a long drive from Missoula, Montana, to Seattle, to board a plane that can fly dogs as luggage. In 2021, we had hit an early rainy season and the ridiculously steep trails were muddy, scats were washed away or soggy, and hiking conditions were difficult and sometimes impossible. This year, we arrived a month earlier and found some areas dry and conditions great for hiking and keeping precious scat samples intact.

We flew all day, landed in San Jose, and left early the next morning to drive south, near the Panama border, where oncilla have been seen on cameras and by landowners. These cats live at higher elevations in intact forest where small rodents and birds are abundant, and where larger cats that compete or prey upon them are scarce. José directed us to high-elevation forests where we could hike up trails into cloud forest and follow Tule, who worked to find the scent of oncilla scat as she moves through the jungle.

When Tule encountered the scent, we stopped to watch her tail wag purposefully and her breathing increase into deep huffing breaths until she pinpointed the scat with her nose, then sat and stared to get her reward—a ball to play with, and love and gratitude from the team. Then José  would move in and look through the leaf litter to find a small, camouflaged scat which he collected and puts into vials to preserve for shipping to a genetic lab. This year Tule found nearly 20 scats, which is a bonanza of potential information. 

In addition to looking for this mythically rare cat, the Costa Rica Wildlife Foundation also conducts studies and develops conservation action plans for quetzals, tapirs, and manatees, and community habitat restoration projects to reconnect severed landscapes and reduce human-wildlife conflict, including vehicle collisions. These are the arenas where the Center excels and can help partners like CRWF apply best practices that have successfully bridged conflicts between people and wildlife. This expertise is one reason the Center provides leadership for the Latin American and Caribbean Transport Working Group, an international group of wildlife and transportation professionals helping reduce risks to wildlife on roads and rail lines.

The Transport Working Group, part of IUCN’s Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group, is focused on reducing wildlife mortality and making transportation systems more permeable for animal movement throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. This group’s work has helped lead to Costa Rica and other Latin American countries installing wildlife crossings and enacting legislation that provides protection for biological corridors.

Costa Rica is a shining example of a country creating new laws where conservation is needed. Their corridors are mandated to “restore ecological connectivity and re-establish ecological processes on lands subject to different tenure and types of use, establishing a participatory process involving all local actors.” Costa Rica has implemented biological corridors since 1990, with the creation of the Talamanca-Caribe Corridor. The process to establish biological corridors as a strategy for the conservation and restoration of biodiversity was a visionary move, started in 2006, with the establishment of the National Bio-Corridor Program.

It was a singular pleasure to be in a country where approximately 28% of the land is protected in national parks, and where private landowners are encouraged to restore forests and protect land and water, adding another 26% of lands protected for nature. This region, with a very high degree of biodiversity and species richness, is exemplary in improving connectivity and reducing conflict across the landscape, making a viable home to incredible wildlife, including an elusive, small, spotted cat we hope to learn a lot more about.

_{Photo, above post: The only oncilla living in a captive facility in Costa Rica. ©Zara Palmer – Toucan Rescue Ranch/CRWF. All other photos courtesy of Megan Parker unless otherwise indicated.}

The post On the Trail of Oncilla in Costa Rica appeared first on Center for Large Landscape Conservation.

You can read Gabe’s first update here.

A steady rain drenched us head to toe, and as it neared midnight I started to wonder when we would finally head back to camp. The herpetologists, though, were unconcerned with the elements. They scrambled up and down steep muddy slopes in search of reptile and amphibian specimens. In all likelihood, the fruits of their labor would be the discovery of species completely new to science! When the group finally called it quits for the night, the transect had yielded a half dozen frogs, a plump lizard, and a beautiful, non-venomous false coral snake to be documented and photographed. Led by two senior researchers at the Universidad del Azuay and complemented by one student, one volunteer, and myself, our team piled into the truck and returned to camp to sleep as long as the morning light would allow us.

I had the honor of joining the herpetologists for three days of their two-week expedition to the northern limits of the Sangay-Podocarpus Connectivity Corridor. As discussed in my previous post, the Corridor is the product of collaboration among many institutions in this region of Ecuador. Key among them are the Universities and their biologists who conduct rigorous monitoring of the animals who inhabit these mountains, day after day, ducking and weaving through thick vegetation (often in the rain) – all to ensure that these sensitive species receive the protections they need.

In the second half of my trip, I’ve been able to hear from a diverse group of actors in the CCSP. The purpose of my project is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of this initiative, and their collective capacity to implement a wide-ranging management plan. Speaking with folks in government, non-profit, and academic sectors, I’ve gained an understanding on the widespread social network that supports the CCSP. It even includes the national hydroelectric company, Celec EP, which views an intact watershed—with rich forest cover and uncontaminated by excess mining or agriculture—as essential to providing consistent, clean water flows.

“Herpetologists based at the university have completed extensive inventories in the southern end of the Corridor and their lab has a backlog of over 40 individuals presumed to be new species, just waiting for their formal description and publication!”

After having spent nearly a month high in the Andes—in the páramo and cloud forest ecosystems— I entered a new phase of my trip. I descended into the eastern edge of the Corridor which quickly transitions into Amazon rainforest. In just a few miles of horizontal distance, the elevation drops precipitously. Getting off the bus in San Juan Bosco, Morona-Santiago Province, I noticed a clear increase in heat and humidity. These conditions are ripe for the hyperabundance of life I witnessed while hiking in the Área Ecológica de Conservación Municipal Siete Iglesias (AECMSI): hundreds of different orchids, mammals like coati, and elegant birds like trogon and quetzal.

Created by a mayor’s decree, yet inducted in the National System of Protected Areas (in a way similar to our state parks), AECMSI carries special political significance in this municipality. I learned of ongoing efforts to enhance the tourism appeal of this area. The government would like to finish construction of an interpretation center and trail system, providing the infrastructure needed to draw domestic and international tourists alike. Revenue from eco-tourism would be a boon to the local economy, providing livelihood opportunities beyond farming and ranching. In this model, the jaguars that prowl the reserve would be an asset, rather than a source of conflict for landowners. In the meantime, though, the risk of jaguar attacks on livestock (and Andean eagle depredation of chickens, for that matter) is mitigated by a newly established ‘first-alert system,’ wherein communications are bolstered between neighboring farmers and the presence of a predator is managed (by smelly or noisy deterrents) in a coordinated manner.

Moving south from San Juan Bosco, I travelled to Zamora, where I explored the Amazonian side of Parque Nacional Podocarpus, the southern terminus of the CCSP. Then, my bus slowly regaining the elevation I had lost earlier in the week, I climbed to the city of Loja. This city of about 200,000 is known for excellent coffee, street art, the western entrance to Podocarpus, and—most importantly for the CCSP—a high-powered research university. The Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja (UTPL) is a major partner in the CCSP initiative, providing biological expertise along with research and technical capacity. That human-wildlife conflict system at work in San Juan Bosco and other locales? Designed and established by UTPL researchers. The striking photos of rare wildlife in the corridor? Courtesy of camera trap methodologies designed at UTPL. As for the amphibians and reptiles, they’re not only examined up north. Herpetologists based at UTPL have completed extensive inventories in the southern end of the CCSP and their lab has a backlog of over 40 individuals presumed to be new species, just waiting for their formal description and publication!

My weeklong circuit of interminable bus rides impressed on me just how massive this landscape is and reminded me that large-landscape conservation can be a challenge due to the time and energy needed to visit each part of the mosaic. Of course, the lack of paved highways, hotels, and restaurants (efficiencies that would help a master’s student) is precisely what enables biodiversity to thrive. While skirting the edge of the Corridor from San Juan Bosco, through Zamora and up to Loja, I merely peeked into the heart of the forest. Passing through these cities, though, I was welcomed heartily by the people who benefit most from the Corridor’s ecosystem services. While a nature-lover at heart, my favorite part of conservation is the human element, and these past weeks have demonstrated what large-scale conservation looks like when it’s the local people who take the lead.

Now back to Cuenca, my trip has come full circle and I’ll return soon to Montana. As I reflect on what I’ve learned, my next challenge will be to write not just a thesis, but also a companion report to share with CCSP leaders, hopefully lending a useful perspective that will enhance their already impressive work.

All photographs by Gabe Oppler

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