Network-Optimized Design of Wildlife Corridors for Multi-Species Connectivity in Rapidly Urbanizing Regions

Abstract

Habitat fragmentation is a significant cause brought about by urbanization, and it interferes with the
connectivity of wildlife and poses a threat to biodiversity. The booming city growth and development
of infrastructure causes the isolation of wildlife species and the inhibition of access to vital resources.
This paper responds to the fact that there is a need to have proper wildlife corridors that can sustain
the connectivity of various species within the urbanizing landscapes. This study utilizes the network
optimization strategy, which combines cost surface analysis and genetic algorithms to develop wildlife
corridors to fit the movement patterns of carnivores, herbivores, and small mammals. The area of
study involves fragmental habitats, and the optimization process takes into consideration future
urbanization projections in order to have a viable corridor in the long term. Resistance values, species
specific habitat preferences, and dispersal distance of most landscape features were taken into
consideration in the design of the corridor. The improved connectivity of 45 to 80% across species
was achieved in the optimized corridors, and the most significant benefits were seen in large
carnivores. The corridors were effective in terms of preventing fragmentation and genetic flow
between geographically isolated populations. The urban infrastructure, including roads and buildings,
was named as a significant obstacle, but the corridors easily avoided the obstacles and facilitated the
species movement, making them less isolated. This paper suggests that network-based wildlife
corridors can contribute significantly to the connectivity in urbanizing areas. The findings underscore
the significance of design and urban development of corridors, especially regarding multi-species and
multi-use. Fragmentation can be reduced by incorporating wildlife corridors in urban planning to
promote conservation of biodiversity in the long run.