---
title: "We Need Better Highways—for Wildlife, UMD-led Research Suggests"
date: 2024-09-19T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/we-need-better-highways-for-wildlife-umd-led-study-suggests"
section: Articles
---
# We Need Better Highways—for Wildlife, UMD-led Research Suggests

*September 19, 2024* — by [Kimbra Cutlip](/author/kimbra-cutlip)


> Black Bear Study Finds Not All Wildlife Corridor Designs Are Equal

*I Stock 1443645253 1920x1080 — A UMD researcher and colleagues studied how to design corridors of undeveloped land to allow wildlife to flourish while avoiding conflict with humans.*

A black bear padding through a suburban backyard. A hesitant deer family trying to cross a busy highway. Your dog straining at the leash in a growling showdown with a coyote on an evening walk.

Such encounters underline a growing need to set aside corridors of undeveloped land where wildlife can travel safely, helping to ensure their long-term survival as human population and development continue to expand. But a new University of Maryland-led [study](https://link.springer.com/epdf/10.1007/s10980-024-01971-4?sharing_token=-yFW3WD2aEPTYNx-f3B4rPe4RwlQNchNByi7wbcMAY625MqNVkAEepsensZXbDhxULotJck34OaceYpVuIL4fWsABmOddRDdvomXPMmttwHJjz_bHqsb3nM4VMTfetK39QvvIDD7HGvYrtDoViCS1zFBcWKalWzBJHpJ8lMZoB4%3D) in the journal *Landscape Ecology*reveals that current methods of designing and evaluating wildlife corridors may be lacking, and that smarter frameworks are needed to ensure wildlife protection.

University researchers tested different wildlife corridor designs against black bear movement data in Florida and found that each achieved very different results, and none contained all black bear movements.

The work highlights the complexity of the issue and shows that, while there is no one best method, the purpose of a corridor, which can vary widely, will directly impact what approaches should be considered to achieve conservation goals.

“If we don’t get these corridors right, our efforts at conservation will be wasted, and we could see more human-wildlife conflicts,” said Jennifer Mullinax, an associate professor in UMD’s Department of Environmental Science and Technology and senior author of the study.


*baby bear cub with ear getting tagged — A black bear cub is tagged in Pennsylvania for a UMD study. (Photo by Gabe Mullinax)*




**Topics:** [Research](https://today.umd.edu/tags/research)


**Tags:** [Environmental Science and Technology](https://today.umd.edu/topic/environmental-science-and-technology), [Research](https://today.umd.edu/topic/research)


**Units:** [College of Agriculture and Natural Resources](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-agriculture-and-natural-resources)