Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure for a Green Recovery: Emerging Opportunities for Innovation in Post-COVID-19 Recovery Efforts

While roads are an essential part of modern life, they fragment habitats and landscapes. The effectiveness of wildlife crossing infrastructure (WCI) in reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and reconnecting landscapes across roads are well documented in scientific literature, along with many other co-benefits. However, WCI projects are not implemented on a national scale in the US or Canada, in part due to lack of funding prioritization. This study undertook a thematic review of the US and Canadian infrastructure and spending plans to identify emerging opportunities for landscape connectivity and green infrastructure projects. The potential for co-locating WCI with active transportation uses was then explored in greater detail through an integrative literature review. WCI projects can contribute to national goals of climate resilience, economic recovery, and closing the infrastructure gap. However, positioning projects for funding will require strategic communication of the co-benefits of connected landscapes that align with national funding goals.