In this episode, I speak with Defenders of Wildlife’s Kelly Cox and Christian Hunt about the Wildlife Corridors Act and why it’s needed to counter habitat fragmentation and improve wildlife movement across landscapes that don’t match jurisdictional boundaries. They explain the bill’s goal of creating a national wildlife corridors system focused primarily on federal lands, requiring agencies to coordinate through a corridor committee, use mapping and science to prioritize corridors, and adopt implementing regulations within a couple years of enactment. The act defines connectivity around movements that support genetic exchange, range shifting/expansion, seasonal movement, and recolonization after disturbances, with urgency heightened by climate-driven range shifts.
www.defenders.org
02:59 Meet Kelly and Christian
03:39 Defenders Parks Program
06:45 Refuges Rulemaking and Predators
10:38 Why Corridors Matter
14:48 Defining Connectivity and Roads
17:53 Climate and Private Lands
21:14 State Models and Crossings Funding
28:04 Science and Political Hurdles
31:16 Mapping Agencies and Sideboards
36:36 Economics ESA and Future Vision
43:49 Public Lands Reflections
