WCC 2016 Res 087 - Activity Report

In the past year, the CCSG has convened workshops at the International Society for Conservation Biology Meeting (Columbia), the Society for Ecological Restoration Meeting (Brazil), the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (US), the Cambridge Conservation Forum (UK), the National Forum on Landscape Conservation (US), and the Conference on Road Ecology and Climate Change Adaptation (Canada), as well as 2 Online global conference calls.
CCSG members have also spoken at numerous conferences and workshops and the leadership continues to recruit new members and solicit feedback on connectivity guidelines. Meetings in Kenya, Tanzania, the UK, Australia, and Bhutan are planned for 2018.

The CCSG has recruited a global membership of over 450 connectivity conservation practitioners from 75 countries, as well as a stellar coordinating committee. The CCSG has a regular newsletter, a collaborative worksite on Basecamp, and a website that keeps the membership informed about new advances in connectivity science and relevant case studies (www.conservationcorridor.org/ccsg).

CLLC contracted the production of an animated video to explain what connectivity conservation is and why it is important. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cswQpkHiPOs&t=1s CLLC has also produced two trifolds – one for the CCSG and one for the TWG – which are distributed at member meetings, as well as to prospective members. CCSG Newsletters were sent out in July and October (attachments below). The CCSG website was also updated with case studies of work being done by members. http://conservationcorridor.org/ccsg/connectivity-in-action/

The Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) has received seed money from IFAW and the Leonardo DiCaprio foundation to pursue a global consultation process on 6 continents around the world to build a constituency to support the new connectivity conservation targets in the next round of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

One of the most exciting achievements of the year was the input the Center for Large Landscape Conservation (CLLC) had on behalf of the CCSG in developing the first ever business call to action for landscape connectivity conservation. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development in Switzerland, which includes some of the most notable multinational corporations in the world, presented a report stating that business interests pursuing sustainable efforts need to incorporate connectivity conservation.

The CCSG established a subgroup called the Transport Working Group (TWG), focused specifically on linear infrastructure development such as roads, rail, and canal development in high biodiversity countries. This expert community of transportation planners, engineers and ecologists have already engaged others in India, Gabon, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Mexicoand Europe. Specifically, this group is engaged with members of the Asian Elephant and Specialist Group and tiger conservationists to develop mitigation recommendations for transport infrastructure to minimize the impact of vehicle and train traffic on endangered species inAsia. It is also in the process of developing trainings for wildlife professionals in Latin America and Asia to mitigate wildlife vehicle collisions. Finally, the leadership of the TWG has developed a working draft outline for a document titled, “Design, Development, and Mitigation Guidance for Transport Systems within Areas of Connectivity Conservation.” The membership of the TWG will be instrumental in writing and editing this guidance document. Lastly, they seek to develop series of case studies of best practices from around the world that can be compiled into a publication or to distribute from the TWG website.

The leadership of the CCSG has written the draft standards for a new conservation designation called “Areas of Connectivity Conservation” (ACCs). ACCs will protect natural and semi-natural landscapes, fresh-waterscapes, and seascapes that exist outside of the standard protected areas definition. The purpose of the standards is to delineate the definition, types, selection criteria, and governance (including guidance on securing, implementing, and monitoring) of ACCs. These standards will aid on the ground practitioners in linking landscapes, enabling migrations, reducing fragmentation, and sustaining ecosystems.