Urban Wildlife Corridors: Connecting Habitats for Animal Movement

Wildlife corridors in urban and suburban areas allow animals to move between habitat patches, reducing isolation, genetic erosion, and road mortality.

Key Facts

Fragmented urban habitats result in local extinctions of species unable to disperse
Hedgehog highways, bat-friendly lighting, and wildlife underpasses have documented effectiveness
The Ecoduct wildlife bridge over the A1 motorway in the Netherlands was the first in the world
Urban gardens collectively cover more area than all UK National Nature Reserves

Welfare Considerations

Urban habitat fragmentation creates isolated animal populations that suffer from reduced genetic diversity, inability to disperse when resources are exhausted, and high road mortality when attempting to move between patches. Road mortality is the largest preventable welfare harm for many small mammal species in urban areas. Wildlife underpasses and bridges allow animal movement under and over roads. Low points in garden fences create hedgehog highways. Appropriate street lighting including warm-colored bulbs and motion-sensitive controls reduces bat disturbance. River corridors provide linear habitat allowing movement through urban areas. Connected urban habitats support significantly more biodiversity than isolated fragments of equivalent total area.

What You Can Do

Cut a hedgehog highway hole in your garden fence and encourage neighbors to do the same
Advocate for wildlife-friendly infrastructure in local planning including underpasses and wildlife bridges
Support green infrastructure planning policies that maintain ecological connectivity in urban areas
Report road casualty wildlife to mapping programs that identify mortality hotspots for infrastructure interventions
Plant native wildlife-friendly plants in gardens to enhance corridor quality