Corridor Conservation Initiative

Freedom to Roam
Pronghorn and elk migrating between summer and winter ranges, grizzly bears moving from berry patches in valleys to white bark pine groves atop mountains, wolverine cubs traveling many miles from their maternal home range to find a territory of their own — each of these manifests a fundamental need of wildlife — the freedom to roam.  Unfortunately, as human developments — rural residential sprawl, fences, roads, and energy extraction — chop the open spaces of the West into smaller and smaller fragments, wildlife are losing this freedom; and as a result, we are endanger of losing wildlife.  The Wildlife Conservation Society Corridor Conservation Initiative is a coordinated program of field-based research, outreach, and cooperative actions to protect and interlink crucial habitats with a network of wildlife corridors.

Wildlife Corridors
The cornerstone of wildlife conservation for more than a century has been the protection of wildlife habitats within wildlife refuges, national parks and other protected areas. The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been a leader in developing and implementing this strategy.  As successful for wildlife conservation as this approach has been, the lands surrounding these protected areas are increasingly impacted by human developments and activities. 

If we are to ensure that our protected areas do not become islands of habitat, ecologically and genetically severed from one another, wildlife conservation strategy must expand to encompass efforts to conserve and restore corridors connecting these areas.  In these efforts, again WCS is leading the way.  Our Corridor Conservation Initiative follows the model we have used to successfully conserve the wildlife of North America for more than a century; working from a scientifically rigorous footing with a variety of stakeholders to help guide the development and implementation of sound, sensible policies and practices that balance the critical needs of wildlife with the needs of the people.

WCS Corridor Conservation Initiative: wildlife conservation in action

* Using WCS’ renowned scientific expertise and the latest in GIS spatial analysis to
   identify and assess threats to crucial wildlife corridors.

* Influencing federal, state, and county policies and legislation to ensure that policy,
   incentives and funding support wildlife corridor conservation.

* Providing conservation leadership in developing a series of recommendations to the
  Western Governors’ Association to identify and protect wildlife corridors across the
  19 western states.

* Working with government transportation agencies to ensure safe passage of wildlife
  across busy highways, railroads and other transportation infrastructure.

* Assisting private landowners to conserve wildlife corridors across their property.

* Championing the Freedom to Roam campaign. WCS is working with businesses,
   the outdoor industry and the conservation community to broaden business and
   grassroots support and increase public backing for wildlife corridor conservation
   across North  America.

To achieve our ultimate goal of conserving the remaining wildlife corridors throughout the continent, our intermediate goals are first to obtain formal protection for one of the longest remaining large mammal corridor in the contiguous United States, the Path of the Pronghorn, then build upon this by working with the Western Governors’ Association to identify and protect critical wildlife corridors throughout the western states, and finally use the lessons learned and models provided through these efforts to expand wildlife corridor recognition and formal protection across the continent.

Other links of interest

 http://www.skytruth.org/ugrvvideo.htm