Protecting wildlife habitat and migration routes helps to sustain healthy wildlife populations, promote biodiverse ecosystems that are more resilient to climatic changes, and support local economies that rely on outdoor recreation. To encourage knowledge sharing and collaboration related to this vital work, The Pew Charitable Trusts joined federal, state, and tribal partners in hosting the Corridors, Connectivity and Crossings Conference in Tucson, Arizona, in May. The three-day event featured scientists, practitioners, and policymakers leading technical trainings, sharing research, and discussing policy innovations based on the latest developments in wildlife migration and landscape connectivity conservation.
Wildlife and transportation leaders discussed the importance of working across disciplines to successfully conserve ecosystems while improving human well-being. Jennifer Toth, director of the Arizona Department of Transportation, kicked off the conference by discussing the critical role that the agency and other state transportation departments play in mitigating the impact of roads and highways on landscapes; she also highlighted the opportunity to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Under Secretary Robert Bonnie stressed the importance of agricultural lands in landscape conservation planning, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau underscored his agency’s commitment to working with other stakeholders to conserve wildlife corridors.
Gloria Tom, director of the Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife, stressed the important contributions of Native American tribes in research and conservation efforts of wildlife movement. Zach Lowe, executive director of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, delved into the importance of state wildlife agencies in coordinating activities and conservation actions for wildlife corridors.
Other session topics ranged from a technical discussion on analyzing wildlife movement data to policy efforts at the federal and state levels. On the third day, attendees joined field trips to Arizona’s flagship wildlife underpass, the Arizona-Mexico border, and the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, home to grassland wildlife.
The conference co-hosts included The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Department of the Interior, the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, the U.S. Forest Service, and the USDA Farm Production and Conservation Business Center. Financial support was provided by Pew, the Department of the Interior, the Knobloch Family Foundation, the Wilburforce Foundation, and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.
Matt Skroch oversees The Pew Charitable Trusts’ work on wildlife migration corridors and crossings.