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Connecting fragmented landscapes is a key conservation tool for ensuring the long-term health and survival of otherwise isolated plant and animal species. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies worked with state and federal agencies, including the National CASC, to develop the Connectivity and Climate Change Toolkit, a guide for creating climate-smart habitat connec

A group of pronghorn antelope stand in a grassy sagebrush steppe in front of distant snowy mountains lit by a pink sunset
Creating chains of connected landscapes is critical for the conservation of large mammals, such as these pronghorn, who live in ecosystems fragmented by roads and other human infrastructure among the Wind River Mountains.

The world’s remaining wildlands are increasingly surrounded by urban sprawl and noxious weeds, isolating many plants and animals in small habitat islands. To combat this trend, management agencies and conservation organizations build and invest in green corridors between protected landscapes, allowing species to move between areas in search of necessary resources or favorable conditions. Yet even as initiatives to improve habitat connectivity lead to modern conservation successes, climate change threatens the efficacy of future efforts. There is a growing need to understand how climate change will alter the quality and distribution of natural habitats and how these shifts will affect current and future ecological corridors.

At the behest of the Climate Adaptation Committee of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, a group of researchers from state and federal agencies across the country, including NCASC Biologist Kate Malpeli, recently developed the Connectivity and Climate Change Toolkit. They designed this toolkit to help resource managers integrate climate change considerations into connectivity initiatives. The report contains resources, tools, and information about climate change effects on species distributions and habitat connectivity, modeling and planning frameworks to help incorporate climate change into decision-making processes, and adaptation strategies for creating climate-smart connected landscapes. The report also details considerations for specific ecosystems, such as aquatic and forested landscapes. Together, the authors hope this toolbox will be a useful resource for practitioners seeking to protect biodiversity by promoting ecological connectivity in the 21st century.

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