BC Conservation Foundation served on the steering committee and co-hosted the Southern Interior Wildlife Crossings and Corridors Forum, June 11–13, 2025 on Syilx Okanagan People's territory at UBC-Okanagan.
We partnered with the Government of British Columbia, Okanagan Institute for Biodiversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Services (BRAES) at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Parks Canada, Thompson-Nicola Conservation Collaborative (TNCC), and Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program (OCCP) on this inaugural gathering that brought Indigenous leaders, researchers, government agencies, conservation organizations, industry representatives and other regional partners.
The Forum brought together more than 50 participants from First Nations, government agencies, academic institutions, NGOs, and community organizations to advance ecological connectivity and reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) in British Columbia’s Southern Interior.
The Corridors and Crossings Forum What We Heard Summary Report highlights mapping exercises, presentations and facilitated discussions that identified key themes regarding the importance of Indigenous participation, the need for improved data accessibility, and the urgency of coordinated action across jurisdictions to prioritize actions for wildlife corridors and crossing structures.
The Forum helps contribute knowledge, momentum and awareness for BC Conservation Foundation’s program on Wildlife Collision Prevention.
We are excited by the priority actions the Forum participants put forward. These actions include:
- To form a Southern Interior Connectivity Working Group to help maintain dialogue and share information across Nations, NGOs, governments, and academics. Develop a Regional Corridor Conservation Plan that could align with Indigenous land use plans, local conservation strategies, and BC’s 30×30 conservation targets.
- Pursue opportunities to collaborate with the Ministry of Transportation and Transit, such as piloting a roadkill reporting app, identifying priority crossing sites, and integrating ecological criteria into transportation planning.
- Identify options to improve data access and integration, including shared mapping platforms and transparent systems that respect Indigenous data sovereignty.
- Look for ways to engage funders and policymakers to secure more stable financing, review policy gaps, and connect corridor work to broader provincial and federal conservation goals.
A discussion paper written by Melissa Butynski & Robin Blott from UBC-O served as a foundational resource to frame and support regional efforts aimed at improving wildlife connectivity and reduce Wildlife Vehicle Collisions in BC’s Southern Interior.