Ecological Corridors Project
What are Ecological Corridors?
Ecological corridors – sometimes referred to as wildlife corridors, animal movement pathways or ecological linkages and connections – are managed or natural areas that connect fragmented habitats. They allow for safe migration and movement of species between different habitats, supporting both individuals within populations as well as the migration of genes between populations of species – ensuring long-term population health. Ecological corridors can take various forms, including vegetated areas along rivers and streams, treelines between agricultural lands and greenbridges and overpasses.
Ecological corridors are important for species survival, as they reduce the negative effects of habitat fragmentation caused by human development, roads, and urbanization. They can also help species adapt to climate change, connect various habitats needed for species migration, support other ecosystem services – such as water filtration and provision of clean air, support human-wildlife coexistence and support ecological connectivity between protected and conserved areas.
Ecological corridors are not necessarily protected or conserved areas, such as national or provincial parks. Instead they are often locally-driven and managed, based on support and voluntary participation from landowners and land managers and are compatible with other land uses such as agriculture, forestry, hunting, fishing, etc.
About the Algonquin to Adirondack Corridor
The Algonquin to Adirondacks (A2A) Corridor is a critical ecological corridor that connects Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, to the Adirondack Park in New York, USA. It serves as a vital link for wildlife movement between the Boreal forests of Canada and the Appalachian Mountains in the United States. The Frontenac Arch Biosphere Region is an integral part of this larger ecological corridor, as it sits in the narrowest pinchpoint of the A2A corridor – an area already facing mounting pressure for wildlife movement due to ongoing and planned development (Figure 1).
Fostering ecological connectivity within the FAB Region
With funding from Parks Canada, in partnership with the Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative (A2A) and Plenty Canada, the Ecological Corridors project aims to pursue the Criteria for Ecological Corridors in Canada in strategic locations across the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Region. This project builds on previous modeling and mapping work done by A2A – including ongoing ecological connectivity mapping between the Algonquin highlands and the Adirondack mountains.
Using an Ethical Space and Two-Eyed Seeing framework, this project seeks to:
- Refine and ground A2A’s connectivity wildlife models in local and Indigenous Knowledge to help guide the selection and identification of priority ecological connections linkages within the FAB Region,
- Identify management and stewardship and caretaking goals for the selected ecological connections;
- And create publicly accessible ecological connectivity maps for decision-makers, local residents, partners and communities.
Focusing in: Ecological Corridors Participatory Mapping Workshop
In spring 2025, we were joined by local organizations, municipalities and townships, conservation experts and Indigenous knowledge holders for a participatory mapping workshop. Participants shared their knowledge of the land by adding stickers to printed maps, confirming the presence of wildlife within the modelled ecological connections, identifying barriers to wildlife movement, sharing information and knowledge on the cultural significance and history of the landscapes and offering lots of other important information. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us – your knowledge, stories, and perspectives are shaping the future of ecological connectivity in the region.
The feedback gathered at this workshop helped us to refine and ground A2A’s computer-modelled wildlife corridors in local and Indigenous knowledge. Following the workshop, we compiled all the feedback – annotated maps, comment cards, and discussion notes – and shared them with the Algonquin to Adirondacks (A2A) Collaborative. This input directly informed updates to A2A’s ecological connectivity models (Figure 3), now live in their Data Viewer.
This knowledge and feedback also guided us in our selection of where to focus the next phase of our work: the Charleston Lake to the Thousand Islands area (Figure 5). Workshop participants reported many on-the-land sightings of threatened and culturally significant species there, highlighting the significance of this area and its importance for ecological connectivity. There will be multiple opportunities to maintain and restore connectivity in this area, one of which will be to incorporate wildlife design elements into upcoming development projects, especially in the proposed expansion of Highway 401 between Gananoque and Mallorytown.
Fieldwork
We worked to survey sites across the project focus area to collect more information on barriers to connectivity, field observations on habitat quality, and potential opportunities for future caretaking and stewardship actions. We successfully visited 59 sites across the project focus area, conducting culvert assessments at 39 sites and water testing at 11 sites – encountering many of our furry and feathered neighbours during our work! Check out the map below for some highlights of our fieldwork season.
As we move into the next phase and future activities to restore ecological connectivity in the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Region, we will continue to engage with and reach out to local residents and decision-makers to find ways that we can support wildlife moving through and around our communities, along the edges of our properties, across our roads and over/under our bridges!
How are we using Two-Eyed Seeing and Ethical Space frameworks in this project?
Building on new and existing relationships with local First Nations and Indigenous organizations, this project applied an Ethical Space framework to respectfully work across Indigenous and western knowledge systems. Diverse knowledge was gathered through community-based events, including the mapping workshop, as well as through collaboration with conservation experts, local stakeholders, and Indigenous knowledge holders. This collective knowledge helped create a foundation for this project and guided us with fundamental priorities – such as the connection between land and water and the principles of 7 Generations. In addition, this knowledge informed the identification and mapping of priority linkages and continues to help shape and guide the identification of caretaking and stewardship priorities for ecological connectivity.
By applying Ethical Space and Two-Eyed Seeing approaches and working with partners and collaborators (including the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne and the Aronia Collective), we worked to ensure that outcomes and deliverables of this project reflected diverse worldviews, knowledge systems, and conservation values—including Indigenous languages, values, and conservation priorities.
Next steps for ecological connectivity in the Frontenac Arch:
Through this year-long project, we have worked to strengthen and create a network of partners, community members and organizations working towards the common goal of fostering and protecting the ecological connectivity of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere and the broader A2A corridor. Moving forward into the next phases of this work, we hope to continue to facilitate relationship-building and knowledge-sharing between this network we fostered. Building on our ecological connectivity mapping work, we also are also planning community outreach and education activities to help facilitate the restoration of critical habitat within these ecological connections through voluntary landowner engagement and education.
Stay tuned for updates on how the work we completed through this project will evolve into future projects and activities!
Want to get involved?
If you are interested in learning more about this project, please contact our Project Coordinator savanah@fabn.ca for more information about the project and how you can contribute.
The Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network acknowledges that the Ecological Corridors Project was supported and made publicly available through generous funding by the Government of Canada / Parks Canada.
Le Réseau de biosphère de l’Arche de Frontenac reconnaît que le projet de corridors écologiques est soutenu et rendu public grâce au généreux financement du gouvernement du Canada et de Parcs Canada.
