Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act - Summer

Team Members: Natalia Abello, Sarah Bryan, Sion Lee, Dhruvi Patel, Kelly O’Connell, Olivia Parker, Emily Siangkam, and Tiffany Wu, João Francisco Adrien Fernandes, Helena Gressler

The Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act addresses the growing threat of habitat fragmentation and biodiversity loss by supporting the creation of wildlife corridors on tribal lands. Habitat fragmentation caused by infrastructure, land conversion, and climate-driven ecosystem shifts has disrupted migration routes and reduced species resilience, accelerating biodiversity decline. Tribal lands play a critical ecological role because they are often located along migration pathways and adjacent to protected areas. The proposed legislation authorizes tribes to nominate corridor sites and receive federal funding and technical assistance to restore habitat connectivity, enabling wildlife movement and ecosystem recovery. The Department of the Interior would oversee implementation, providing financial and technical resources to support corridor planning, restoration, and long-term management.

Analysis of existing corridor initiatives, including the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, demonstrates that corridor connectivity improves species migration success, genetic diversity, and ecosystem stability. However, effective implementation requires addressing complex land ownership patterns, long-standing underinvestment in tribal land management, and potential ecological risks such as the spread of invasive species or disease. Ensuring tribal leadership and sustained funding is essential to achieving conservation goals while respecting sovereignty. By strengthening habitat connectivity and empowering tribal stewardship, the legislation offers a scalable approach to protecting biodiversity, supporting ecosystem adaptation to climate change, and advancing environmental justice through collaborative conservation.

Learn more about the MPA-ESP Workshop in Applied Earth Systems Management.