A patch of habitat that's too small to sustain a population on its own can still work if a corridor lets individuals move between it and neighbouring patches.
crossing_success ~ corridor_width / fragmentation_pressure
- Habitat patches — isolated habitat fragments needing corridor connections.
- Corridor width — how wide the connecting wildlife corridors are — narrower corridors deter cautious species.
- Fragmentation pressure — how aggressively roads and development sever potential corridor routes.
- Species movement rate — how often individuals attempt to move between patches.
Wildlife overpasses like those in Banff National Park cut vehicle-wildlife collisions by over 80% simply by reconnecting fragments that roads had severed.