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27 <br /> physical barrier for less mobile animals that will not cross a paved road or cannot cross a road with curbs <br /> or other structures(National Research Council 2005). Over time, loss and isolation of habitat,blocked <br /> animal movements, and increased mortality contribute to decline of wildlife populations (Haddad et al. <br /> 2015). <br /> Connectivity Biological Components: <br /> • Daily movements <br /> --------------------- • Seasonal movementsto breeding,reproductive, <br /> summer,and winter habitats <br /> • Dispersal <br /> Development Action: <br /> • Land clearing <br /> DevelopmentSTRESSORS <br /> 1 � <br /> • Roads - <br /> • Traffic <br /> I <br /> I <br /> Habitat Effects Road Effects <br /> ---------------------- • Habitat loss • Road corridor barrier <br /> • Habitat change • Road effect zone <br /> • Habitat fragmenta- <br /> tion <br /> Potential Wildlife Effects <br /> • Blocked daily,seasonal,and dispersal <br /> movements <br /> • Increased daily,seasonal,and dispersal mortality <br /> • Species diversity declines because suitable <br /> habitat is no longer available <br /> Potential Wildlife Population Impacts Biodiversity and Ecosystem <br /> • Reduced abundance Effects <br /> • Loss of genetic diversity • Reduced native species <br /> • Increased genetic isolation diversity <br /> • Fragmentation of local populations • Loss of ecosystem functions <br /> • Stochastic(random)small population effects performed by species <br /> • Vulnerability to stochastic environmental events <br /> • Decreased population persistence <br /> Figure 4.Reproduced from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife(2009): "Potential impacts to wildlife <br /> from loss of connectivity in developed landscapes.Includes impacts of the `road effect zone,'or area of impact <br /> extending beyond the roadway and including traffic noise and lights." <br /> Ultimately, local wildlife populations and species diversity are not sustainable in a landscape with <br /> isolated patches of habitat(Williams 1998,Haddad et al. 2015). Interconnected networks of habitat are <br /> necessary for maintaining wildlife populations,natural communities,genetic and species diversity, and <br /> natural ecological processes (Bennett 1999, Cosgrove et al. 2018). Maintaining connectivity of natural <br /> communities and ecosystem processes also benefits humans by maintaining ecosystem services, such as <br /> clean water and air,native plant and pollinator diversity, carbon sequestration and climate regulation, <br /> benefits to our local economy(through working farms and forests,recreation, and tourism),benefits to <br /> public health, and more (NRCS 2004, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2005). <br /> 14 A Landscape Plan for Wildlife Habitat Connectivity <br />