An $87m corridor will extend over Highway 101 to reconnect the ecosystem and possibly save mountain
By Katharine Gammon | The Guardian
Engineers in southern California are hard at work designing the biggest wildlife corridor in the world, to extend over US Highway 101 to the northwest of Los Angeles.
The corridor will connect different parts of the Santa Monica Mountain chain, which is crucial to the future of mountain lions – but it will help other species as well. The $87m bridge has entered its final design phase and is on track to open in 2023.
“This ecosystem needs to be reconnected for all wildlife,” said Beth Pratt of the National Wildlife Federation, explaining that animals could roam through different parts of the mountains until humans cut them off with giant roads. GPS tracking shows that the animals are largely isolated in their own small areas, unable to mingle. “Segmentation impacts animals both large and small: lizards and birds up to mountain lions.”
