Chapter 2 - Key Concepts and Ideas: Connectivity from a Species Perspective

Summary

To suggest that wildlife corridors are a necessary component of restoring lost habitat connectivity requires an understanding of some of the concepts that shaped the conceptualization and implementation of wildlife corridors in the first place. To begin, as defined by the research group Conservation Corridor, a corridor is “a habitat whose main function is to connect isolated patches of habitat that would otherwise be inaccessible.” Next, understanding the value of wildlife corridors also requires knowledge of the concept of connectivity or the ease with which species are able to move between different appropriate habitats.

Understanding Connectivity

As mentioned in the Introduction, ecological connectivity refers to “the unimpeded movement of species and the flow of natural processes that sustain life on Earth.” As habitats become increasingly fragmented, and as biodiversity continues to be threatened by the processes of infrastructure development, climate change, and other forces driving the Anthropocene, it becomes even more critical to protect connectivity (Figure 2.1). As Hilty et al. note in their 2020 IUCN report, Guidelines for Conserving Connectivity through Ecological Networks and Corridors: “Science overwhelmingly shows that inter-connected protected areas and other areas for biological diversity conservation are much more effective than disconnected areas in human-dominated systems, especially in the face of climate change.” Moreover, to achieve this, the 2020 IUCN report recommends establishing an ecological network for conservation to help establish ecological corridors and achieve connectivity. The IUCN defines an ecological network for conservation as “a system of core habitats […] connected by ecological corridors, which is established, restored as needed and maintained to conserve biological diversity in systems that have been fragmented.” This network, or system of core habitats, would ideally be comprised of protected areas, other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs), and other intact natural areas. Together, these areas would constitute an ecological corridor; in other words, functioning in the positive, an ecological network would be connected with ecological corridors. An ecological corridor “is a clearly defined geographical space that is governed and managed over the long term to maintain or restore effective ecological connectivity.” While it is possible to achieve connectivity conservation goals without the presence of a network per se, ecological networks for conservation “are more effective in achieving biodiversity conservation objectives than a disconnected collection of individual protected areas and OECMs because they connect populations, maintain ecosystem functioning and are more resilient to climate change.”