Issues in Ecology series: connectivity

The Ecological Society of America released the sixteenth installment of their Issues in Ecology series, which focuses on using landscape connectivity in conservation planning. In these papers, experts summarize an area of ecological research for policymakers who need to know the scientific consensus as they make decisions. Deborah Rudnick and colleagues review why landscape connectivity matters, how we can measure it, and what managers need to know about the challenges of prioritizing conservation actions with habitat connectivity assessments.

What the reader takes away from this “state of the science” will depend on their background. For a decision-maker first learning about connectivity, the introduction provides a succinct overview of why enabling animal movement across the landscape will lead to more resilient populations. For me, a student relatively familiar with the academic research, the review of uncertainty in landscape models and the directions for future research caught my attention. Additionally, the authors provide six case studies that should excite a broad audience. These success stories demonstrate how landscape connectivity has already been used in conservation decisions that have balanced scientific rigor and human land-use needs. Rudnick and colleagues provide a readable overview of landscape connectivity research which shares lessons from scientific experts that should be helpful for students, land managers, and policymakers.