Parks and reserves are often too small or isolated to sustain viable populations of key species or to maintain watershed and other vital ecosystem services. They may be located for scenic or other values, rather than to protect particular species or habitats (Conservation International). In response, Conservation International developed the idea of “Biodiversity Conservation Corridors”. Regions that encompass both human and natural habitats Biodiversity Conservation Corridors are designed to conserve viable populations of threatened and endemic species, ensure as much territory as required by wide-ranging mammals such as wolves and elephants and cover sufficient terrain to sustain natural processes such as water cycles, carbon and nutrient cycling, seed dispersal and pollination. “Anchored by parks and other protected areas, they are large landscapes that include a network of land uses, including agriculture, human settlements and even industrial activities”. CI have thus far assisted with the implementation of corridors in Costa Rica (Osa Peninsula), Southern Bahia and more recently in the Democratic Republic of Congo in an effort to protect lowland gorillas. Planning a corridor is essentially planning a region optimized for both human and nonhuman inhabitants”. (Conservation International: Helping People and Nature Co-exist)

Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve

Conservation International

Planning a corridor

When planning a corridor, the need for a fundamental understanding of the landscape, key species, ecosystems, their health, needs and threats is essential if adequate management and care of the system is to occur. One of the biggest threats to the biodiversity of the Cape Florisitc Region is the fragmentation of the landscape through over or inappropriate development followed closely by the threat of invasive alien plant species. Corridor planning must take cognisance of both these threats.