Publication: Popular Science

UCLA Expert: Daniel Blumstein:  Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Professor, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Synopsis: National parks are some of the few places left in the U.S. where wild animals can roam free. In recent years, however, many mammals on these protected sanctuaries have come under pressure from roads and highways surrounding parks that restrict their migration, and other human activities like development that force them to move.

UCLA News: Blumstein said “we’ve known that larger patches of habitat support more species for longer periods of time than smaller patches, and practically this means that animals in isolated parks and reserves will eventually go extinct.” Commenting on a recent study on the matter, Blumstein explained that the statistical approach the author and his colleagues used “shows the value of connecting isolated parks and can inform the basis of increased land protection.” 

Read more at Popular Science.