BACKGROUND:
 

Human settlement and associated landscape changes have taken their toll on native wildlife across the planet - for the most part through habitat elimination or alteration.  We are now at a critical juncture with respect to both our attitudes and actions relative to wildlife habitat if there is going to be any meaningful preservation of biodiversity in our natural wildlife heritage.
 

One thing is certain; for these species to survive there must be sufficient space to meet their minimal needs, and often some means of travel between disconnected habitat spaces.  Soon after the year 2000 the U.S. population will reach ~300 million.  Can wildlife still have their place in the midst of so many people and their demands on the land?
 

We remain optimistic, but only if we show a commitment and creativity in our management and planning of our use of the landscape.  Much has been done, yet much remains. An inventory of our current habitat available to natural wildlife varies, from exceptional examples of  large portions of  land which are well managed, to examples where species have little chance for survival.
 

Because of the interconnected nature of human activities, the nature of much of our remaining habitat is in the form of islands of natural landscape surrounded by areas where the use is inhospitable to natural wildlife. The fragmentation of natural habitat into isolated islands emphasizes three aspects of habitat which have become increasingly important to scientists, environmentalists and government planners alike: the importance of habitat island size, stability, and the existence of corridors to connect the individual habitat islands.
 

Great efforts are being made to increase the size and stability of these islands of habitat into substantial tracts of land which don't only favor those species of plants and animals which can live and thrive near the edge of natural conditions, but also those species which need substantial natural buffers for their continued existence.
 

This effort is complimented by efforts to establish corridors which serve as connections between habitat islands.  These corridors allow for the movement of species to and from habitat islands as the individual habitat's relative ability to support the species changes. 
 

 
This is the current interface between what remains in the way of natural habitat and what scientists, environmentalists and planners will negotiate and develop to assure the existence of a stabalizing biodiversity necessary for a thriving biosphere of which we are a part. It is the intention of this web module to provide you and your students access to information, activities, and interactions which can make you and them a part of this important and exciting process.