Why are habitat corridors important

You have probably heard about the importance of wildlife corridors to the sustainability of wildlife populations. But what exactly is a wildlife corridor and why are they so important to wildlife populations? To fully grasp the importance of wildlife corridors one must first have an understanding of habitat fragmentation.

Habitat fragmentation occurs when large expanses of habitats are split into smaller patches that are potentially isolated from one another. Human activities such as urbanization or conversion of natural habitats into agricultural fields cause habitat fragmentation. Habitat fragmentation is a growing risk to the biodiversity of the planet. Strictly speaking a wildlife corridor is any area of habitat connecting otherwise discontinuous wildlife populations.

However, as related to human caused fragmentation, the term is used to refer to areas of habitat connecting protected wildlife habitats to one another, allowing for wildlife movement that would otherwise be separated by human disturbed areas.

Corridors allow animals to freely move from one habitat patch to another without crossing human-caused barriers which can put animals, and potentially humans, in danger. But why is this so important? Let us start by focusing on landscape species, which are basically wildlife species that need expansive areas to survive, such as tigers in India or grizzly bears in the United States. These species are the first to disappear across a fragmented landscape and often only persist in the largest protected patches of habitats, such as National Parks.

However, even in these large protected areas potential issues will still arise over the long run because without corridors, these populations are isolated. Small isolated populations are susceptible to stochastic or random events as well as genetic draft. Stochastic events can include everything from fires, to disease or storms. If a population of say, butterflies, is hanging on in one small isolated park and a large fire burns the vast majority of the park, the species of butterfly may be completely distinguished.

Large expanses of habitat, or corridors connecting habitat patches can help buffer populations of wildlife from being extirpated from stochastic events. Stochastic events are natural, but human caused fragmentation puts wildlife at risk from stochastic events. Wildlife Corridors also help facilitate the re-establishment of populations that have been reduced or eliminated due to random stochastic events. This will help reduce further ecosystem degradation as a result of habitat fragmentation.

The concept of green infrastructure supports that spatial planning and territorial development consciously integrate the need to protect and enhance nature and natural processes [4]. Greentumble was founded in the summer of by us, Sara and Ovi. We are a couple of environmentalists who seek inspiration for life in simple values based on our love for nature.

Our goal is to inspire people to change their attitudes and behaviors toward a more sustainable life. Read more about us. What Is the Purpose of Wildlife Corridors? Greentumble Biodiversity August 16, What is a wildlife corridor? Was this article helpful?

We are working hard to improve our content. Let us know if you liked this article. Click Here To View The Interactive Map This mapping information is so helpful in knowing where linkages can be created between pockets of habitat. Plus, it is just pretty cool to see the impact of these programs as they grow and spread across the landscape! We are honored to be partnered with Chicago Living Corridors!

Ready to contribute to conservation efforts that help with providing habitats and corridors for birds, bees, butterflies, and all sorts of other wildlife? Well, conservation is what The Conservation Foundation does every day. We can all do more together than we can alone. Join our collective momentum — Become a member today! We grow healthy. Who We Are. Green Earth. Youth Adults Communities Club Nature.

Nature RX. Conservation Home. Steve Stawarz June 14, What are wildlife corridors? This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of rivers, inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity via genetic drift that often occur within isolated populations. Why are habitat corridors important? Corridors can contribute to three factors that stabilize a population: Colonization —animals can move and occupy new areas when food sources or other natural resources are lacking in their core habitat.

Migration —species that relocate seasonally can do so more safely and effectively when it does not interfere with human development barriers. Interbreeding —animals can find new mates in neighboring regions so that genetic diversity can increase and thus have a positive impact on the overall population.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service NRCS of the US Department of Agriculture have stated similar value-added benefits of connectivity for wildlife: Increased habitat area Increased opportunities for colonization and immigration of species Habitat accessibility Increased niche diversity e. What is TCF doing to protect wildlife corridors?