Ecological Corridors: A Solution for Fragmentation Caused By Urbanization at Chino Hills State Park?

Abstract:

As urban areas continue to expand across the United States, the wildlife managers are increasingly shifting their focus to creating ecological corridors as a way to protect species. Urbanization can lead to habitat fragmentation, biodiversity loss, disrupted nutrient cycles, and lower amounts of biomass. New roads, subdivisions, and fences create barriers that may disconnect wildlife from seasonal feeding grounds or breeding areas. Wildlife corridors can be a solution to these challenges. These corridors offer safe and accessible routes for birds, fish, and mammals to move and to the habitat that they require for their survival. These pathways offer increased safety for humans too, as pathways over or around busy roads can reduce expansive and dangerous wildlife-vehicle collisions. This poster presentation focuses on Chino Hills State Park, California as a case study of new and innovative approaches to wildlife corridors. Park managers and wildlife biologists at the park developed partnerships with California Department of Transportation that led to the removal of off highway ramps and new corridor opportunities in Coal Canyon. This corridor allows birds and mammals to migrate between Chino Hills and other nearby public lands. Methods of this study include mapping corridor areas using field site landscape analysis, park maps and park manager interview and analyzing these areas for potential new corridor opportunities. This research offers findings that will be of interest to geographers, wildlife biologists, and public lands and park scholars seeking innovative approaches to wildlife corridor creation in heavily urbanized areas.  

Keywords: Wildlife corridor, Chino Hills State Park, urbanization

Authors: