The world is experiencing rapid expansion of transport, energy and other infrastructure. In the short-term, this expansion significantly severs connectivity across landscapes. Eventually, it disrupts gene flow for endangered wildlife and poses a threat to the environment if not managed with due care. In India, roads, rail, and other infrastructure are fundamental for economic development.
Yet, these linear features sever the connectivity wildlife reserves and key corridors. Wildlife reserves are often too small to support viable populations of wide-ranging species, such as elephants and tigers. Connectivity is therefore crucial for the genetic viability of these species.
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Supported by the Science for Nature and People Partnership, Dr’s Krithi Karanth, Ruth Defries and Ullas Karanth currently lead a project that will help decision-makers plan for infrastructure development while also maintaining connectivity for wild places in India. The project’s lens extends deeply into landscapes critical for conservation in India: The Western Ghats and central India. These biologically rich landscapes are facing severe development pressures from road, rail, dams, energy infrastructure, human settlements and mining projects.
An advisory group of high-level, key national and state-level decision makers from the relevant sectors, including highway, mining, and energy sectors, and conservation scientists are collaborating in a working group. The purpose is to carry out analyses and develop options for maintaining connectivity based on experiences in India and internationally, including costs and effectiveness of different strategies.
By using scientific evidence to identify major challenges for wildlife connectivity across India, we have produced an open portal with access to data layers and analysis for public use (www.indiaunderconstruction.com). Additionally, we collaborated with renowned filmmaker Shekar Dattatri to produce Humane Highways, a film that powerfully documents the impacts of linear intrusions on India’s wildlife. Our collaborative work and results will provide a pathway for decision-making in other landscapes in India and elsewhere.
