Habitat Loss and Migration

Yellowstone ecosystem may lose key migrant

This study points to the pronghorn antelope’s migration path to and from the Yellowstone national park and how it is in danger from human development. Six out of eight known routes have already been cut by development. On a hopeful note, the release points out that preserving the remaining routes should be relatively easy, if action is taken.

The loss of migratory corridors is one aspect of habitat loss. For conservation biology, it isn’t enough to simply set aside so much area per individual of a threatened population; one must consider the lifecycle and factors like migration. This obviously will require the coordination of effort across many human political jurisdictions in many cases. Exploitation is simple; our cultural and political norms have been honed to aid exploitation. Conservation is difficult; it most often means either reducing the rate of exploitation or deferring, perhaps permanently, some form of exploitation.