New Report Analyzes State and Local Policies Designed to Foster Wildlife Connectivity

DENVER - A new report released by the University of Wyoming's Ruckelshaus Institute analyzed the challenges, the implementation, and the durability of a broad array of state and local policies designed to conserve wildlife corridors and enhance habitat connectivity. The researchers examined 37 state and 10 local policies and found that a key limitation to enhancing wildlife connectivity is a lack of funding. The report also highlights the critical role that municipalities and county governments can play in conserving habitat through the development of connectivity policies.

Habitat connectivity is critical for the survival of wildlife species, but many Western landscapes have become increasingly fragmented by residential growth, traditional and renewable energy infrastructure, outdated non-wildlife friendly fencing, and other activities that restrict wildlife movements.

"States, municipalities, counties, and local communities play an important role in managing wildlife habitat," said Jeremy Romero, wildlife connectivity manager at the National Wildlife Federation. "The Ruckelshaus report provides a comprehensive analysis of the diverse approaches state and local governments are taking to adopt policies that maintain wildlife movements and enhance connectivity."

"While state and local governments have begun adopting policies to conserve wildlife migration routes, no one has analyzed the diversity of approaches pursued or the impact those policies are having on the ground," said Dr. Drew Bennett, one of the lead researchers for the report. "We hope this report will provide insights for both practitioners and policymakers and promote learning across jurisdictions and administrative boundaries."

The study's authors will present findings and key takeaways in a webinar, open to the media on October 2nd from noon-1p MT. Please register using this link.