Washington Habitat Connectivity Action Plan

Mountains and a blue sky in the background with a divided highway winding through forest. A grass covered bridge goes over highway connecting the forest.
Photo by WSDOT

The Washington Habitat Connectivity Action Plan (WAHCAP) builds on Washington’s leadership in connectivity science. It brings together decades of research to identify priorities for connectivity projects to protect and reconnect Washington’s landscapes for wildlife. 

The WAHCAP includes:  

  • Connectivity Maps: Statewide connectivity maps developed with existing and new data  
  • Priority Locations: Maps and a framework to identify priority locations for impactful connectivity work, including both transportation and landscape priorities 
  • Recommended Actions: Connectivity conservation actions geared towards land use planning, voluntary conservation incentives, transportation projects, public lands, and indigenous-led stewardship
  • Regional Profiles: Closer looks at the unique connectivity threats, opportunities, and resources across different regions of the state    

Read the WAHCAP Report

View the WAHCAP Spatial Data on ArcGIS Online

 

Project Updates

Join our mailing list for project updates and webinar invitations.

Action Plan Development Team

Action Plan development is led by the Core Team, which includes staff from WDFW, the Washington Department of Transportation, and Conservation Northwest as well as contractors from the Conservation Biology Institute, TerrAdapt, and the Wildlife Connectivity Institute.  

The Technical Advisory Group is made up of subject-matter experts on certain species, ecosystems, and/or landscape modeling approaches. These experts provide input on technical mapping decisions like which data layers to include and how to parameterize connectivity models.  

The Implementation Advisory Group is made up of conservation practitioners who do on-the-ground connectivity conservation work and who will use the Action Plan. This group provides input on their values, priorities, and the types of data and tools they need to be successful in their work, ensuring that the Action Plan will be useful to and used by its intended audience. 

The Technical Advisory Group and Implementation Advisory Group include representation from Washington state agencies, tribes, federal land managers, local government, academic researchers, and conservation organizations. 

Tribal Engagement

One of the goals of the Action Plan is to reflect tribal connectivity priorities and support tribes pursuing federal grants and other connectivity work. WDFW staff invited the 29 federally recognized tribes within Washington to participate in Action Plan development as their interest and capacity allows and sought input about wildlife movement or connectivity data they would like to contribute.  

Resources

Visit our partners’ websites: 

Washington Wildlife Habitat Connectivity Working Group

Explore previous wildlife connectivity analyses performed by the Washington Wildlife Habitat Connectivity Working Group. These analyses are being evaluated as potential inputs into the Action Plan’s combined connectivity map, and many of the Working Group’s members serve on the WAHCAP’s Technical Advisory Group.