U.S. Needs Creative Solutions to Improve Ecosystem Connectivity

Collected resources on restoring connections among essential fish and wildlife habitats

Vegetation covers a wildlife bridge that links forested areas bisected by a highway; a deep blue body of water with a sandy shore is visible beyond the tree line.
A wildlife crossing spans Interstate 90 in Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. A network of bridges and culverts in the North Cascades is improving ecological connectivity and helping to make the region more resilient to climate change.
Washington State Department of Transportation Flickr Creative Commons

Many fish and wildlife species move and migrate as part of their life cycle, often following food sources throughout the seasons. But roads, dams, culverts, and other infrastructure can obstruct these pathways. By eliminating or retrofitting some of those barriers, or by building crossings, states can help restore and maintain critical wildlife corridors and migratory routes. And as higher temperatures alter fish and wildlife habitat, improved connectivity can help species move freely to find new resources and more suitable places for foraging, shelter, breeding, and other vital activities.

The research and analysis collected here reflect the breadth of The Pew Charitable Trusts’ efforts to restore and conserve fish and wildlife corridors throughout the U.S.

White Paper

States Can Help Pay for New Wildlife Crossings

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White Paper

Wildlife crossing infrastructure, including overpasses and underpasses, has proved highly effective in connecting wildlife habitat areas separated by roadways and preventing wildlife-vehicle collisions, but despite this, states lack sustained funding to support new projects.

Pronghorn migration
Pronghorn migration
Report

How to Conserve Wildlife Migrations in the American West

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Report

The natural spectacle of wildlife migration has beguiled people for millennia—a sense of wonder that continues today. Aristotle and his contemporaries marveled at the sudden disappearance of birds and animals in the fall and their reappearance in spring.1 Now, in the 21st century, science is uncovering fascinating new information about the amazing treks that mule deer, elk, and pronghorn make each year across the American West.

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