The Kootenay Connect initiative and KCP’s Kootenay Connect Priority Places (KCPP) were the topic of an article written in the French-language news magazine La Source!
Written by Marie-Paule Berthiaume – Initiative de journalisme local – Journal La Source
A friendly challenge between Kootenay biologists Marcy Mahr and Michael Proctor developed into the Kootenay Connect initiative, a conservation framework for a regional network designed to help species move and adapt as ecosystems shift with a changing climate. The vision of connectivity across 12 corridors received support from KCP and many keen partners to help bring it to life and create lasting conservation benefits for the Kootenay region.
“KCP’s Kootenay Connect Priority Places project was initially funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada for three years and later extended to four, the project grew from four to seven corridors. If funding is extended into a third phase, we will go for all twelve”, Marcy explains.
Juliet Craig is the Program Director for Kootenay Conservation Program, which has been helping to coordinate the Kootenay Connect Priority Places project. “The $4 million project leveraged an additional $10 million, and we’ve helped distribute that funding to over 60 projects in the region.”
The success of the project is rooted in more than funding, Juliet explains. “We’ve been building partnerships for over 20 years with organizations and local researchers that develop leading-edge knowledge and practices that can then be applied on the ground,” she explains. “When you have diverse perspectives and knowledge systems, geographic scales and mandates, it really fosters success.”
For more information about Kootenay Connect Priority Places, please visit: https://kootenayconservation.ca/kootenay-connect-priority-places/
Lead image: Kootenay Connect a développé une vision de connectivité écologique à travers douze corridors fauniques | Gillian Sanders photo.
