Habitat corridors help preserve wildlife in the midst of human society

As the recent vote in parliament shows, policy makers still seem to support the protection of endangered species.

During fiscal 2012, environmental and related institutional expenditure No. 2584 contains clauses that prevent US fish and wildlife bureau from preserving other animal and plant species under the Endangered Species Act. Norman Dicks (D - WA), a member of the House Revenue Committee, sponsored a draft amendment to remove the provision of the law. The amendment was passed between 224 and 202, and a total of 37 Republicans supported the amendment, all voted for the exception of two Democrats who supported the amendment. Fred Upton (MI) Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, House Science, Chairman of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee of Space and Technology, and Chairman of the Business, Justice and Science Revenue Committee Senior Republicans supported the amendment. Frank Wolf (VA)

Given this bipartisan agreement on the protection of endangered species, policy makers should also work to promote initiatives to help protect protected wildlife. An important tool to ensure the protection of endangered species is the establishment of a habitat corridor that helps to reduce the impact of habitat segmentation, mainly caused by urban development. Daniel Evans, ESA's Graduate School Policy Award winner, is the latest issue of ecologists participating in Washington's podcast, a grant survey on the National Science Foundation (NSF) habitat corridor and its ecological community We discussed the importance.

Fragmentation of the habitat leads to an overall reduction in species population and may result in partial extinction of plant and animal species. As Evans pointed out, species affected by fragmentation of the habitat become more and more sensitive to natural disasters and predation, become more sensitive to inbreeding, and the prevalence of genetic defects It is heightening.

From this perspective, the habitat corridor brings many benefits to plants and animals and can play an important role for endangered species. Habitat corridors allow movement between isolated populations and promote increased genetic diversity. They provide food and evacuation centers for various wildlife, contributing to early childhood and seasonal migration.

The creation of additional habitat corridors can also benefit people and underground aisles and elevated roads help to reduce vehicle collisions with large animals. For example, State Farm Insurance, the largest automobile insurance company in the United States, experienced 3 million deer accidents in the United States over the past two years, an increase of 21% from five years ago. State Farm estimates that in the past year, insurance claims and drivers' expenses have increased by more than $ 3.8 billion due to the deer's cause.

Habitat corridors can also minimize the threat to humans by predators (such as wolves and bears) preying other foods and minimizing the interaction between humans and wildlife I will. During natural disasters (such as forest fires and floods) the corridors can also minimize the invasion of wildlife by human settlements.

Many benefits of wildlife and human habitat corridors, coupled with the federal government's general support for the protection of endangered species, provide reasonable justification for investing in such research programs.

Through the introduction of wildlife corridors, efforts are being made to reduce road slaughter and habitat fragmentation. These corridors make it possible to connect habitats so that animals do not separate from one another due to breeding and continuity. They also help to reduce road mortality by allowing animals to cross highways and avoid dangerous cars. This practice does not exclude much of the negative impact of urbanization on wildlife, but it is a step in the right direction and evidence that humans are increasingly aware of the impact on the mother of the planet.

Habitat fragmentation occurs when the previously connected habitat is separated by human development such as urban areas, agricultural land, logging, roads. This leaves a smaller, isolated area - actually a habitat "island" available for wildlife. These islands are more likely to be exposed to stress factors such as human disturbance, invasive species, pollution and the like. The debris hinders the movement, feeding and hunting of many animals. People are gradually recognizing that isolated parks surrounded by human development are not enough to protect wildlife. Instead, the corridors of natural areas and wildlife that need to be connected to each other