AUTHOR=Zellmer Amanda J. , Goto Barbara S. TITLE=Urban wildlife corridors: Building bridges for wildlife and people JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Cities VOLUME=4 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-cities/articles/10.3389/frsc.2022.954089 DOI=10.3389/frsc.2022.954089 ISSN=2624-9634 ABSTRACT=

Urbanization is rapidly expanding across the globe, leading to increasing threats to wildlife in and around cities. Wildlife corridors are one strategy used to connect fragmented wildlife populations; however, building wildlife corridors in urban areas remains a challenge because of the number of barriers between habitat patches and the extensive number of property owners and stakeholders involved. Successful urban wildlife corridor conservation thus requires a collaborative approach and a cohesive plan that transcends municipal boundaries. Here we demonstrate how urban wildlife corridor conservation can provide a unique opportunity to build bridges not only for wildlife but also among scientists, non-profits, government agencies, and communities. Our case study centers on the conservation of a network of wildlife corridors in one of the world's megacities, Los Angeles, and the positive feedback loop sparked by collaboration between research and non-profit work. We discuss the benefits of and challenges to building complex collaborations for the purpose of strengthening urban resilience and redesigning sustainable cities.