Ecological connectivity in international policy

Learn more about ecological connectivity in national policies.

The importance of safeguarding ecological connectivity is receiving increasing attention around the world as a way to more comprehensively stop fragmentation, reverse biodiversity loss, and increase resilience to climate change.

Many multilateral instruments and international institutions are now emphasizing ecological connectivity to achieve their objectives at this crucial time that the world seeks to solve the biodiversity and climate change crises. The following agreements, reports, and conventions provide a brief but significant review of international policy in the connectivity field:

After four years of negotiation, the 15th Conference of the Parties (CoP-15) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework on 18 December 2022 in Montreal (Canada). This milestone agreement now serves as the strategic plan for implementation of the Convention for 2022-2030. To support measurement of progress under the goals and targets of the Framework, CoP-15 also adopted a Monitoring Framework including key indicators for connectivity. Together, these frameworks are intended “to catalyze, enable and galvanize urgent and transformative action by Governments, subnational and local governments, and with the involvement of all society to halt and reverse biodiversity loss”. Ecological connectivity and its measurement are now more elevated in importance and focus since being first addressed in 2010 as part Aichi Target 11. A number of goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Framework emphasize the fundamental contribution that ecological connectivity makes to healthy functioning ecosystems and species, and achieving its objectives, in particular Goal A, Target 2, 3, and 12. Learn more about the Kunming-Montreal GBF.

1979 Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) provided a global platform to address the conservation of migratory species, their habitats, and their migration routes as they move outside or across national boundaries. Providing the legal foundation for coordinated conservation measures throughout migratory ranges, CMS has reaffirmed its commitment to ecological connectivity as a top priority in its 2020 Ghandinagar Declaration, its Strategic Plan for Migratory Species (2024) and related policy resolutions including ‘Improving Ways of Addressing Connectivity in the Conservation of Migratory Species’. (COP13) and ‘Ecological Connectivity‘ (COP14).

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) adopted the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) in 2023 and includes “ecological connectivity” among the indicative criteria for identifying marine protected areas in the high seas.

The United Nations Ocean Conference concluded in Lisbon (Portugal) in July 2022 with adoption of the political declaration Our ocean, our future, our responsibility. Objective 13 stresses the use of “cooperative, ecologically representative, and well-connected” marine protected areas as essential for science-based ocean conservation.

The 9^th session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) met in July 2022 and included the plenary adopting a proposal to undertake the first “fast-track assessment on ecological connectivity”. With compliments to the Secretariats of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), and the UNESCO World Heritage Center, a background document was prepared to inform this important development. It is anticipated that this decision will help make progress by providing the scientific underpinning and profile for connectivity that will accelerate progress on land and in the water.

At the 1^st IUCN Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC), held in Kigali (Rwanda) in July 2022, 2,400+ participants from across the continent and the world convened under the theme “For People and Nature.” APAC closed with adoption of the Kigali Call to Action for People and Nature, which includes a call for: “Restoring fragmented and degraded ecosystems and avoiding or mitigating the impacts of climate change, new infrastructure and environmentally destructive activities, thereby maintaining ecological connectivity through networks of protected and conserved areas, including OECMs and transboundary areas.” Learn more about the APAC.

The 15^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) meeting in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) in May 2022 adopted the Land, Life and Legacy Declaration. The declaration encourages Parties to take into account the “connectivity of ecosystems” to accelerate commitments to achieve land degradation neutrality by 2030. This is the first-ever formal inclusion of connectivity in UNCCD policies. Prior to the conference, UNCCD’s Global Land Outlook 2 was released and ecological connectivity was highlighted throughout as an important process, catalyst, and action for large-scale land restoration.

In May 2022, more than 1,200 participants from 49 countries gathered in the city of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia for the 2nd Asia Parks Congress (APC). Jointly convened by Sabah Parks and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Congress concluded with an agreement on the Kota Kinabalu Declaration, which calls for the establishment and restoration of ecological connectivity through networks of protected and conserved areas that knit together critical habitat for species. Learn more about the APC.

The 5th UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), as the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, adopted its Ministerial Declaration in early March 2022 committing countries to work across sectors in “promoting ecological connectivity” to halt the loss, degradation, and fragmentation of ecosystems. Notably, this is the first time that the United Nations Environment Programme has invoked connectivity as a necessary means for achieving effective implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development.

UNEA-5 also adopted Resolution 5/9 Sustainable and resilient infrastructure that:

- Recalls “General Assembly resolution 75/271 entitled “Nature knows no borders: transboundary cooperation – a key factor for biodiversity conservation, restoration and sustainable use”, which emphasizes the importance of cooperation to avoid the fragmentation of transboundary habitats and to maintain and enhance connectivity between ecosystems and stresses the importance of the application of environmental impact assessments in line with national legislation, where appropriate, to maintain ecological connectivity between ecosystems and avoid their further fragmentation so that nature can continue to provide ecosystem services to people”;
- Takes “note of the potential environmental impact of infrastructure projects on ecosystem integrity and connectivity“;
- Highlights “the fact that the implementation of any infrastructure projects, including projects with potential environmental impact on ecosystem integrity and connectivity, must be in line with relevant legislation and seek to avoid or minimize adverse impact on ecosystems and livelihoods”;
- “Encourages Member States and other stakeholders, as appropriate, to: […] “c) Cooperate internationally to strengthen frameworks, including for financing, for sustainable and inclusive infrastructure that maintains and enhances ecological connectivity, avoids further fragmentation, and minimizes other potential impacts on ecosystems and livelihoods” and
- “Requests the Executive Director to support Member States and members of specialized agencies, within the scope of existing resources, by:
  - (a) Promoting the implementation of existing tools, such as guidelines and best practices, which have been developed under or endorsed by multilateral environmental agreements, and further developing knowledge, providing technical assistance and capacity support, within available resources, to plan and deliver sustainable infrastructure investment that will drive an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable recovery, including through the assessment of potential impact on ecosystem integrity and connectivity”.

The 2021 G7 Leaders Summit (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom, United States) agreed to the ‘2030 Nature Compact’, advocating for “improved quality, effectiveness and connectivity of protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs).”

The United Nations General Assembly in 2021 adopted Resolution 75/271: ‘Nature knows no borders: transboundary cooperation – a key factor for biodiversity conservation’, which encouraged member States to “maintain and enhance the connectivity of habitats, including but not limited to those of protected species and those relevant for the provision of ecosystem services, including through increasing the establishment of transboundary protected areas, as appropriate, and ecological corridors based on the best available scientific data.” Learn more about the Resolution.
The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Strategy (2021-2030) highlights activities necessary for catalyzing large-scale restoration, and discusses “the importance of ecological connectivity in restoring ecosystem functioning and how to incorporate this concept into natural resource planning and management.

The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) 2021 synthesis report ‘Making Peace With Nature: A scientific blueprint to tackle the climate, biodiversity and pollution emergencies’ identifies ecological connectivity between protected and conserved areas and within urban areas as key to transforming humankind’s relationship with nature.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress 2020/2021 adopted Policy Resolution 073 “Ecological connectivity conservation in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework: from local to international levels” emphasizing the importance of ecological networks and corridors to sustaining biodiversity and nature’s contributions to people, and recommends that all IUCN Members work to conserve connectivity by documenting it across ecosystems, informing policies, laws, and plans, identifying key drivers and building synergies across institutions and borders to implement solutions. Additionally, Resolution 071 “Wildlife-friendly linear infrastructure” recognizes the particular importance of avoiding and mitigating the fragmentation caused by linear infrastructure (i.e., roads, railways, canals) in order to conserve ecological connectivity. Learn more about the resolution.
The IUCN, during its 2016 World Conservation Congress adopted Policy Resolution 087 “Awareness of connectivity conservation definition and guidelines” which laid the foundation for publication and the adoption of IUCN-sponsored Guidelines for conserving connectivity. In Policy Recommendation 102 “Protected areas and other areas important for biodiversity in relation to environmentally damaging industrial activities and infrastructure development” the Congress reiterated their conviction that protected areas should be free of “environmentally damaging infrastructure such as dams, roads, and pipelines” and that development of this infrastructure threatens the ecological integrity of PAs. The recommendation calls on governments, businesses, public sector bodies, and financial institutions to prevent (or otherwise regulate) infrastructure development in, around, or near PAs and other areas important for biodiversity and ecosystem services.
During the Ninth Summit of the Americas (June 9, 2022 in Los Angeles, California, USA) the Joint declaration on “Americas for the Protection of the Ocean” was signed by Chile, Colombia, Canada, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and USA. The signatories agreed to “Establish a work plan that includes initiatives and actions to collaborate, coordinate or share experiences that… Contribute to ecological connectivity in the region protecting essential habitats and migratory routes on a regional scale for marine mammals” and to “Identify opportunities for national, regional, and global networks and initiatives of Marine Protected Areas and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures, enhancing and strengthening existing ones such as the Marine Corridor of the Eastern Tropical Pacific (CMAR) and the work of the Permanent Commission for the South Pacific (CPPS).”

State	Year	Policy	Description
New Hampshire	2019	SB200	Requires the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to consider fish and wildlife crossings and mitigation measures in all future road and culvert projects
New Hampshire	2016	SB376	Requires the fish and game department to identify existing and needed wildlife corridors connecting wildlife habitats in the state and to make recommendations for legislative changes

State	Year	Policy	Description
Maine	2023	LD258	Appropriates $7.5 million to Department of Transportation to improve roadways with potential adaptations for wildlife
Maine	2023	LD1881	Establishes compensation fee program relating to fish and wildlife habitats and associated corridors, including compensation paid by solar energy development
Maine	2023	LD508	Requires Department of Environmental Protection to review its permitting laws concerning climate change, habitat connectivity, ecological resilience, and coastal environments

State	Year	Policy	Description
New Jersey	2025	S3618	Directs state agencies to develop a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan
New Jersey	2024	S3916/A5486	Expands eligibility for existing wildlife fencing programs by including farmers leasing farmland
New Jersey	2007	NJAC7:13	Requires the state to incorporate wildlife crossings or a natural bank for terrestrial threatened and endangered species and/or species of concern when a new bridge or culvert project would cause habitat fragmentation

State	Year	Policy	Description
New Mexico	2023	SB72	Appropriates money to new Wildlife Corridors Fund for implementation of wildlife crossing projects under New Mexico Wildlife Corridor Action Plan
New Mexico	2022	HB 2	Allocates funding for projects to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and allows the Department of Transportation and Department of Game to implement their Wildlife Corridors Action Plan
New Mexico	2019	SB 228	Requires the creation of a Wildlife Corridor Action Plan that includes comprehensive guidance to agencies for identifying, prioritizing and maintaining important areas for wildlife movement

State	Year	Policy	Description
Washington	2023	HB1216/SB5196	Requires Department of Ecology to prepare environmental impact statements for clean energy projects that consider impacts to habitat connectivity and wildlife migration corridors
Washington	2022	SB5689	Provides funding for US 97 Wildlife Crossing Improvements project
Washington	2019	SEO 1031.02	Recognizes the effect of roadways in creating barriers to wildlife movement, breeding, and migrations; the Washington State Department of Transportation will promote and support Practical Solutions and Planning and Environmental Linkages to integrate habitat connectivity and biodiversity plans; will make use of the highway prioritization map known as Habitat Connectivity Investment Priorities; and will corporate and coordinate with other agencies involved in wildlife habitat protection, specifically along highways

State	Year	Policy	Description
Wyoming	2025	SF0088	Allocates funds for projects improving wildlife connectivity including fence removal, wildlife crossings improvements, and habitat restoration
Wyoming	2024	SF0060	Provides funds to help maintain primary migration corridors for ungulates in the Little Snake River Conservation District
Wyoming	2023	SF0106	Provides funds for large wildlife crossing projects across the state
Wyoming	2022	SF0048	Approves funding for specific wildlife crossings and aquatic connectivity initiatives
Wyoming	2021	SF066	Provides funds for large wildlife crossing projects across the state
Wyoming	2020	EO 1	Designates three mule deer migration corridors and establishes the process whereby future corridors can be designated
Wyoming	2020	HB 69	Establishes a system wherein funding from outdoor recreation can be appropriated for wildlife conservation efforts related to the state’s transportation system
Wyoming	2018	HB39	Proceeds from the newly established wildlife conservation license plates are allocated to wildlife connectivity improvements to the state transportation system

State	Year	Policy	Description
Vermont	2023	Act59	Vermont's 30x30 law that commits to conserving and maintaining an ecologically functional landscape that sustains biodiversity and maintains landscape connectivity
Vermont	2016	Act 171	Primarily focuses on timber harvesting regulations, but calls for a study of necessary revisions to planning statutes that protect contiguous areas of forestland from fragmentation and promote habitat connectivity between forestlands

State	Year	Policy	Description
Colorado	2025	HB1093	Restricts local limits on residential density unless offset elsewhere, exempts areas near wildlife crossings, and allows municipalities to seek judicial review of land use initiatives
Colorado	2023	SB 23-092	Encourages minimal impacts to wildlife migration corridors when constructing solar panel farms
Colorado	2023	SB 214	Appropriates funding to the Colorado Wildlife Safe Passages Fund for wildlife crossing projects
Colorado	2022	SB22-151	Creates a $5 million fund for measures that reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and reconnect habitat fragmented by roads
Colorado	2022	HB22-1072	Expands the scope of Habitat Partnership Program to fund efforts to conserve wildlife migration
Colorado	2021	SJR 21-021	Aims to protect and enhance habitat connectivity in the state through the establishment of a working group to develop state policies on corridors, as well as the commission of a report on state corridors and voluntary policies to support willing landowners in improving connectivity
Colorado	2019	EO 11	Directs Colorado agencies to identify policy, regulatory, and legislative opportunities to ensure the ongoing conservation of seasonal big game habitat and migration corridors
Colorado	2018	SB 18-143	States explicit goals for Division of Parks and Wildlife to invest in habitat conservation and wildlife crossings

State	Year	Policy	Description
California	2024	AB1889	Requires counties and municipalities to conserve wildlife corridors when planning new developments
California	2023	AB1760	Calls for a statewide analysis of wildlife corridors and connectivity to support conservation planning and climate change adaptation activities.
California	2023	SB145	Outlines provisions for transportation-related environmental mitigation, including funding for wildlife corridors, property and credit purchases for mitigation, reporting requirements, and mandates for wildlife crossings along Interstate 15.
California	2023	SB101	Provides funding for wildlife corridors and open spaces, including projects to improve connectivity and reduce barriers between habitat areas.
California	2022	AB2344	Establishes a state program to address roads with high wildlife-vehicle collisions, authorizes Caltrans to develop standalone wildlife connectivity projects, mandates an inventory and prioritization system for critical areas, and requires integration of wildlife passage features into relevant road designs.
California	2022	AB1384	Requires agencies to address vulnerabilities in Safeguarding California Plans, including protecting and enhancing wildlife corridors
California	2021	SB790	Approves compensatory mitigation credits for wildlife connectivity actions
California	2021	AB1183	Establishes the California Desert Conservation Program to protect biodiversity, including the protection and enhancement of habitat connectivity
California	2021	AB128	Appropriates funding for wildlife crossing projects, including the Liberty Canyon crossing for mountain lions
California	2015	AB 498	Amends the California Fish and Game Code to encourage, wherever feasible, voluntary steps to protect the functioning of wildlife corridors
California	2014	AB1471	Provides funds to the Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, in part to protect and restore aquatic, wetland, and migratory bird ecosystems including corridors.
California	2008	AB2785	Orders Dept. of Fish & Wildlife to investigate, study, and identify key wildlife corridors and linkages within the state, and to make those areas public