As the year 2013 comes to a close, it’s time to take a look back at the research, techniques, and news that have populated the world of corridors and connectivity. Although the information reported here represents only a small fraction of the exciting publications and tools of 2013, there’s enough to get an idea of some directions the connectivity world is taking. To better understand what we’ve waded through in the past year (and where we might be headed in the next one), we’ve put together some observations about the common threads passing through the past year’s research. A few trends stand out as important:
1. Data, data, and more data – especially if it’s dispersal data. In everything from modeling connectivity to designing corridors, the message is clear that the more data available, the better the chance of creating a linkage that works. The greatest focus seems to be on dispersal data, which is often difficult to obtain (think secretive tigers, tiny plant seeds and short-lived butterflies), but also the most critical in determining how individuals are likely to move through a landscape. Camera traps, radio collars, transect surveys, genetic analysis from fecal samples – all these sources of data can better inform decisions on how to create linkages that are realistic, cost-efficient and highly effective.
New methods to calculate wildlife corridors (January 11)
Corridors promote seed dispersal by birds seasonally (June 11)
Streams can act as high-speed corridors for plants (August 21)
Incorporating stepping stones in connectivity models (October 9)
Accounting for dispersal in climate change planning (October 30)
Developing metapopulation connectivity criteria (November 12)
Does a Safe Harbor Program enhance connectivity? (December 17)
2. Modeling is no longer just about plugging in area and land cover class. Sophisticated techniques have been developed to encompass more specific information about a target species, target landscape, or target goal. While the past has been about getting connectivity modeling off the ground, the future lies in incorporating specifics into models that create and reflect realistic linkages in the landscape. After all, what good is designing a corridor if it doesn’t work for the species and region you’re applying it to? The plethora of new modeling techniques ensures that planning corridors can be a very applied science.
New methods to calculate wildlife corridors (January 11)
Planning corridors around climate change (March 18)
Designing reserves for biodiversity (April 26)
Predicting the future movement routes of 3000 species (July 22)
New ideas for improving corridor models (July 31)
Yale Climate Adaptation Framework (September 25)
Incorporating stepping stones in connectivity models (October 9)
Identifying scales of connectivity using network modularity (October 25)
Conservation planning with uncertainty (November 22)
3. For researchers, it is helpful to have practical examples showing how corridors are actually used in conservation. The special issue in Ecological Restoration on “The Design of Ecological Corridors” (December 2012, vol. 30 issue 4) had a number of excellent examples, including the Castana Corridor in the Amazonian headwaters, the Nyanganje Corridor in Tanzanizia, and the Connect to Protect Corridor for pine rocklands in south Florida. Another excellent example is evident in the wildlife overpasses in Banff National Park, which have clearly demonstrated their utility in keeping bear populations connected (and shown that long term monitoring can be the key to understanding population demography). These examples offer rich details about how corridors are being created to conserve biodiversity in landscapes where people work and live. They also show how corridors are being monitored after their creation to make sure that they function as intended.
