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computer mapping software can show ecosystems like watersheds
and forests, as well as other types of habitats. By putting this in-
credible science to work, says Miceler, progress can still continue,
but development will be done in the right way. “We’re not saying
don’t build roads,” he says. “But there’s a green way to do it. And
that’s what we’re advocating.”
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Wild animals throughout the United States are continuously
threatened by infrastructure expansion. In Southern California,
for instance, scientists are trying to solve the problem of rapidly
shrinking mountain lion habitat. Like tiger habitat in Asia, moun-
tain lion habitat is being crowded out by development; most of
the available habitat for these big cats is sandwiched between
the major cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, where an esti-
mated 20 million people live. Research has shown that as South-
ern California’s population continues to grow, the mountain lions’
chances of survival will continue to fall.
Wildlife Crossings
To increase wildlife’s chances of survival in the Canadian province
of Alberta, environmental scientists worked with transportation
officials to come up with a creative solution: adapt roads to ac-
commodate wildlife. When the Trans-Canada Highway was built,
it cut up wildlife habitats and also created a large barrier to ani-
mals’ movement. The solution was to construct overpasses and
underpasses, known as wildlife crossings, to span the highway.
These structures are designed and built to help animals cross
the road safely, which is always a serious risk when habitats have
been cut off by roads or highways.
Along the Trans-Canada Highway in Alberta’s Banff National
Park, there are now forty-four wildlife crossings: six overpasses
and thirty-eight underpasses. These structures have also been
built along highways in two other Canadian national parks, both
of which are in the province of British Columbia. Officials estimate
that this solution has resulted in an 80 percent decline in car-
animal collisions. It has also allowed tens of thousands of animals,
including deer, elk, coyotes, wolves, black bears, cougars, and
grizzly bears, to cross the highway safely. Environmental scientist
