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"A Clouded Leopard in the Middle of the Road: New Thinking about Roads, People, and Wildlife" by Darryl Jones is a highly informative and enjoyable introduction to road ecology. The book uses personal stories from around the world to make the science of ecological damages caused by roads more relatable and understandable. It covers topics such as road mortality, landscape fragmentation, wildlife crossing structures, and successful collaborations between scientists and local communities. The book provides hope for the future and emphasizes the need for improved environmental impact assessments and ecological connectivity. Overall, it offers a broad overview of road ecology and serves as an engaging introduction to the topic. [Extracted from the article]

Using strategic environmental assessment and project environmental impact assessment to assess ecological connectivity at multiple scales in a national park context. Subsequent papers zoomed into specific cases that (1) explicitly incorporated connectivity assessments in the EA process across scales and EA tiers ranging from project-level environmental impact assessments to strategic environmental assessments (Cumming and Tavares [2]), (2) developed and applied strong quantitative approaches to model habitat connectivity for certain target species in EAs (Kor et al. [5]), and (3) explored the contribution of mitigation measures to the connectivity of ecological networks for amphibians (Clevenot et al. [1]). Advancing the consideration of ecological connectivity in environmental assessment - Part 2 of the special issue Despite a rapidly growing body of research about ecological connectivity, studies explicitly examining and advancing its inclusion and consideration in environmental assessment (EA) have remained surprisingly sparse. [Extracted from the article]

This study seeks to understand the extent to which ecological connectivity has been considered in EIA in Canada. Several factors that may influence the consideration of connectivity were analyzed in an evaluation of 14 environmental impact statements (EIS) obtained from the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry. Connectivity is largely absent from the EIA process, and even projects that attempted to consider connectivity lacked the rigor required to effectively assess impacts on connectivity. Projects that included connectivity as a valued component performed somewhat better, whereas the assessment of connectivity was not affected by different federal environmental acts (CEAA 1992 vs. CEAA 2012), development sectors, or proponent types. Between sections of the EIS, a significantly greater number of evaluation criteria were met in the scoping section compared to all other sections. Without adequate guidance, connectivity analysis in EIA has been conducted ad hoc, with considerable variation in quality. Including connectivity consideration in EIA legislation would provide a legal framework to address the lack of policies, standards, and assessment guidelines. We provide recommendations for integrating connectivity in EIA in Canada and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological connectivity should be an important consideration in environmental assessment (EA). How often and how thoroughly the analysis of ecological connectivity is integrated in the EA process is, however, unknown. We surveyed EA actors and stakeholders regarding their perceptions of, and experiences with, connectivity analysis in the context of EA. 134 practitioners, regulators, consultants, researchers, and interest groups from all inhabited continents participated. Over 72% of respondents stated that ecological connectivity should always be considered; however, it is often considered too late in the EA process, at a scale of analysis often unsuitable for capturing landscape-scale effects, and relying on overly simplistic metrics or qualitative approaches. This disparity between the availability of a range of quantitative tools and the poor consideration of connectivity in EA raises major concerns about current practice and the feasibility of connectivity analysis in project-based EA. Connectivity consideration will need to be required explicitly and supported by best-practice guidance to address the conditions that should trigger a connectivity analysis, the required types of approaches, and the kind of information required to inform decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]