Step 4: Set Goals and Objectives with Agency Partners for Habitat Fragmentation Reduction
At the onset of coordination with Agency partners, the project team should establish a set of reasonable goals and objectives for the habitat fragmentation assessment process, with the overall objective of not increasing the effects of habitat fragmentation and connectivity loss due to project construction. The goals and objectives should be reviewed and amended periodically as additional project information is obtained. Some considerations for developing goals:
- avoidance of impacts to habitat corridors;
- minimizing impacts to habitat corridors;
- maintaining habitat integrity to the greatest extent possible;
- replacement/mitigation of habitats lost;
- target species goals
Clevenger and Ford (in Beckmann et al, 2010) discusses ecological functions of wildlife corridors that can be considered in the development of goals and objectives such as:
- Reduced mortality and increased movement (genetic interchange) within a population
- Meeting biological requirements such as finding food, cover, and mates
- Dispersal from maternal or natal ranges and re-colonization after long absences
- Redistribution of populations in response to environmental changes and natural disturbances
(e.g., fire, drought);movement or migration during stressful years of low reproduction or survival)
- Long-term maintenance of meta populations, community stability, and ecosystem processes
go to Step 5: Define Target (Focal) Species