Wildlife

Wildlife Corridors and Animal Movement Welfare

Habitat fragmentation traps animals in small isolated patches, causing chronic stress, inbreeding and elevated predation risk that profoundly affects their welfare and survival.

Key Facts

Around 70% of remaining forest globally is within 1 km of a forest edge
Road networks fragment wildlife habitat on every inhabited continent
Isolated populations lose genetic diversity through inbreeding within 5-10 generations
Wildlife corridors as narrow as 50-100 m support movement of many species
The Yellowstone to Yukon corridor project spans 3,200 km of connected habitat

Welfare Considerations

Animals in fragmented habitats face multiple welfare harms: chronic stress from restricted movement and territory, elevated predation risk at habitat edges, reduced access to food and mates, and increased vehicle strike mortality. Corridors that allow safe movement restore normal ranging behaviour and reduce chronic stress. Connectivity at landscape scale is as important for individual animal welfare as it is for population genetics and biodiversity.

What You Can Do

Support land trusts and conservation organisations working on habitat connectivity
Advocate for wildlife crossing inclusion in all new road and infrastructure projects
Reduce garden barriers to small wildlife through hedgehog gaps and open boundaries
Donate to rewilding projects that restore natural animal movement at landscape scale