Connecting Wildlife Across Freeways to Fight Extinction

Wild animals are in crisis everywhere. But, how can we demand other nations protect their wildlife if we are not protecting our own? So, now, environmentalists and animal lovers are working together in California to help wild animals survive and thrive by being able to get across major freeways! The Center for Biological Diversity and The Wildlands Network are sponsoring the Safe Roads and Wildlife Protection Act (AB 2344) in partnership with Assemblymembers Laura Friedman and Ash Kalra. The Act requires state officials to develop a Wildlife Connectivity Action Plan for wildlife crossings, establish a Wildlife Connectivity Project List that identifies priority wildlife crossing projects, and requires Caltrans to address and fix barriers to wildlife on new projects and road improvements and proactively implement 10 wildlife crossing projects at identified connectivity hotspots every year. Bold state action to ensure wildlife connectivity is critical for biodiversity resilience and climate change adaptability. Incorporating crossing infrastructure into our state highway system will give California's iconic wildlife, like mountain lions, desert tortoises, and California tiger salamanders, a fighting chance to survive and recover. Wildlife connectivity also is essential to meet the state's goals of conserving at least 30% of California's land and coastal waters by 2030 in a manner that protects and restores biodiversity and builds climate resilience. Get involved at: https://biologicaldiversity.org