Connectivity 101 free online course from the Wildlife Connect Initiative

Need a little help in learning the basics of connectivity conservation?

Learning for Nature, the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) e-learning platform, offers the free course “Connectivity 101: Ecological connectivity for people and planet.“

It teaches the basics of connectivity conservation through five modules that present general and replicable best practices for connectivity conservation and context-sensitive case studies worldwide:

Connectivity 101: Ecological connectivity for people and planet

Module 1: Introduction to Ecological Connectivity
(What is ecological connectivity?)
Module 2: Social Aspects of Connectivity
(How does connectivity benefit people? How do people work together to conserve and restore connectivity?)
Module 3: Connectivity Modelling and its Role in Spatial Planning
(What are the approaches used to define important areas for connectivity, and how can they be included in spatial planning processes to influence development?)
Module 4: Protecting, Managing and Restoring Ecological Corridors
(What actions can we take to implement effective ecological corridors?)
Module 5: Connectivity in the Context of Economic Development
(How do we protect connectivity from infrastructure, extractive industries, and other economic activities?)

The course is estimated to take around 30 minutes per module, and can be done at any pace. It complements other connectivity tools and programs aimed at explaining connectivity conservation and guiding the decision-making process for conservation practitioners.

Learning for Nature is administered through the UNDP and aims to connect biodiversity policymakers, change-makers, and on-the-ground subject-matter experts to promote biodiversity conservation and facilitate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Connectivity 101 course is offered through the Wildlife Connect Initiative, a partnership of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC), IUCN WCPA Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group (CCSG), and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS).

EcoCon: new mapping tool for smarter corridor conservation

Sarah Lockhart2026-05-14T15:59:45-04:00May 8th, 2026|

The EcoCon, developed through the UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning and the GeoPlan Center, provides a template for how to bring diverse datasets together into a cohesive tool that supports connectivity conservation at scale.

GECOT: new tool to optimize connectivity under budget constraints

Cécile Albert and François Hamonic2025-09-04T13:21:15-04:00September 8th, 2025|

GECOT is an open-source tool that models conservation and restoration planning as a connectivity optimization problem, allowing practitioners to account for cumulative effects between conservation actions.

Connecting Landscapes (CoLa): new tool to facilitate conservation led development

Patrick Jantz2025-08-28T10:07:23-04:00August 29th, 2025|

CoLa functions as a new decision support system designed to make it easier to integrate assessments of habitat connectivity into land-use planning and development.

State	Year	Policy	Description
New Hampshire	2026	SB592	Enables regional, conservation, and energy resource planning for habitat strongholds and wildlife corridors
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

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