New IUCN Guidelines for connectivity conservation – webinar

Posted on 27 August, 2020 by Frances

Connecting Country exists to connect landscapes across the Mount Alexander region of Central Victoria. In ecology, landscape connectivity is often defined as ‘the degree to which the landscape facilitates or impedes movement among resource patches’. Landscape connectivity allows plants, animals and other organisms to disperse across the land and move between patches of habitat, affecting gene flow, local adaptation, extinction risk, colonisation, and the potential for plants and animals to cope with climate change.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has developed new Guidelines for conserving connectivity through ecological networks and corridors. Published in July 2020, the guidelines are based on the best available science and practice for maintaining, enhancing and restoring ecological connectivity among and between protected areas, other effective areas based conservation measures (OECMs) and other intact ecosystems.

The IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) includes the Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group (CCSG) based at the Center for Large Landscape Conservation in the beautiful Rocky Mountains at Bozeman, Montana (USA). This Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group is presenting a webinar about the new guidelines.

Session speakers will include lead author and Y2Y president and chief scientist, Jodi Hilty, as well as Stephen Woodley, Gary Tabor and Annika Keeley. Y2Y is the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, a not-for-profit organisation working to connect the wildlands and waters stretching from Yellowstone (USA) to Yukon (Canada).

An initial presentation will introduce the genesis of this work, discuss the main messages, and emphasise the recommendation for formal recognition of ecological corridors to serve as critical building blocks of ecological networks in conjunction with protected areas and other conservation measures.

Additional short presentations will highlight some of the featured 25 case studies demonstrating current approaches to connectivity conservation for different ecosystems and species, and at different spatial and temporal scales. Time will be reserved at the end of the session for questions and discussion.

This event is free and open to the public.

The Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group is holding the webinar is on Wednesday 2 September 2020 from 8 to 9:30 am USA Mountain Time. Unfortunately, the timing is not ideal for us in Central Victoria! This equates to 12 am midnight on the early morning of Thursday 3 September 2020 in Victoria, Australia.

To register for the webinar – click here

To download the IUCN Guidelines for conserving connectivity through ecological networks and corridors – click here

To learn more about the guidelines and why connectivity is important – click here

https://y2y.net/events/iucn-guidelines-for-connectivity-conservation-webinar/