CDFW Introduces New Digital Tools to Track Wildlife Connectivity, Barriers
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is pleased to announce the launch of a new suite of online tools to help identify and address wildlife connectivity barriers across the state. These resources will make it easier for the public, planners, and partners to explore known barriers to wildlife movement and understand where action is needed to support animal migration and road safety.
“I am thrilled we can share these new online tools that will advance collaboration with our partners and ultimately improve wildlife connectivity and movement across the state,” said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. “California is making tremendous progress on identifying and resolving wildlife connectivity barriers as exemplified by the Annenberg Wildlife Crossing in Southern California, the largest wildlife crossing of its kind in the nation now in the final stages of construction.”
Habitat connectivity is essential to the health and resilience of wildlife populations – especially in the face of increasing development and climate change. Transportation and other linear infrastructure can block wildlife movement, isolate populations, reduce genetic exchange and lead to increased wildlife-vehicle collisions. Addressing these barriers is critical to protect California’s diverse wildlife populations and provide increased road safety.
CDFW’s new Wildlife Connectivity Barriers web page features an interactive map and additional resources that allow users to identify, explore and understand the locations of known wildlife movement and barriers.
Key features of the Wildlife Connectivity Barriers web page include:
- An interactive map showcasing over 200 high-priority barrier segments across 3,000 miles of roadways and infrastructure.
- A searchable database with detailed information on each barrier, including species affected (e.g., deer, mountain lions, amphibians, reptiles) and prioritization data.
- Online tools to export data, zoom in on relevant areas of interest, and print focal areas of concern.
- Resources for planners and partners to inform conservation, restoration, and infrastructure planning.
In recent years, CDFW has taken major steps toward a more strategic and science-based approach to identifying and remediating wildlife connectivity barriers. The new digital tools build on CDFW’s first statewide assessment of priority barriers in 2020 (updated in 2022). This transition to an online format continues to build on years of interagency and partner collaboration and is designed to make barrier data more accessible, dynamic, and user-friendly.
This effort also leverages the 2024 California State Action Plan developed under U.S. Department of Interior Secretarial Order No. 3362, which supports the conservation of big-game migration corridors across the western United States. Of the barriers identified in California, 21 intersect with lands prioritized under this plan, highlighting routes essential to ungulate species.
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