GCSE Geography | Wildlife Corridors for the Passage of Animals

Geography Quiz - Wildlife Corridors (Questions)

In this GCSE Geography quiz you will explore wildlife corridors, why they are created, and how they help animals move safely between habitats in human dominated landscapes.

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Fascinating Fact:

They help reduce the effects of habitat fragmentation, which occurs when roads, farms, and settlements break large habitats into isolated patches.

In GCSE Geography, wildlife corridors are studied as strips or networks of habitat that link larger nature areas. They allow animals to move between feeding, breeding, and shelter sites without crossing dangerous barriers. Understanding how wildlife corridors are planned and managed helps you explain how people can protect biodiversity while still using land for farming, housing, and transport.

Key Terms

Wildlife corridor: A route or strip of habitat that connects separate nature areas so animals can move safely between them.
Habitat fragmentation: The breaking up of a large habitat into smaller, separated patches by roads, farms, or settlements.
Biodiversity: The variety of different plants and animals living in an area or ecosystem.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What is a wildlife corridor in GCSE Geography?

In GCSE Geography, a wildlife corridor is a managed route of habitat that links separate nature areas, allowing animals to travel between them for food, shelter, and breeding.

Why are wildlife corridors important for animals?

Wildlife corridors are important because they help animals avoid busy roads and built up areas, find new territories, and keep healthy populations by mixing with other groups.

Can you give an example of a wildlife corridor?

Examples include green bridges over motorways, riverbank strips left wild for animals to follow, and hedgerow networks that link woodlands and nature reserves in the countryside.

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What is a disadvantage of wildlife corridors?

[ ]	Wildlife corridors allow animals to move from habitat to habitat
[ ]	Wildlife corridors allow animals to pass through or close to areas of human settlements
[ ]	Wildlife corridors give a fixed, safer route for animals to travel
[ ]	Wildlife corridors allow diverse groups to mix

In terms of genetic diversity, how do wildlife corridors help prevent species extinction?

[ ]	Wildlife corridors reduce inbreeding and genetic drift
[ ]	Wildlife corridors allow animals to escape hunting
[ ]	Wildlife corridors allow animals to use one area for hunting and one for breeding
[ ]	Wildlife corridors increase genetic drift and inbreeding

How can housing developers and planners help wildlife?

[ ]	By blocking off developments to prevent animals entering the area and forcing them to pass around
[ ]	By making sure that routes funnel animals through the developments without pausing
[ ]	By making sure that there is clear signage on roads warning drivers about animal crossings
[ ]	By providing gardens and green spaces for wildlife and humans, and leaving wildlife corridors for animals to pass through

What is a riparian ribbon?

[ ]	A type of marking that shows road users where crossings intersect with roads
[ ]	A ribbon of wild land encircling a new development
[ ]	A water based corridor such as a river or stream
[ ]	A wildlife corridor that snakes between settlements to allow passage without intersecting with developments

How do dams prevent rivers being used as wildlife corridors?

[ ]	Dams normally have industrial developments either side. These will discourage animals
[ ]	The deeper water can drown some of the sensitive species
[ ]	Species that move up or down river can't jump over the dam, and often the land originally either side is flooded
[ ]	The increased flow is too much for many species to swim against

What is habitat fragmentation?

[ ]	Habitat is broken up by logging, roads, and other developments
[ ]	Fragments of habitat are brought back together
[ ]	Species that migrate are assigned different habitats for different times of the year
[ ]	Certain fragments of the habitat, such as particular plant species, are removed

How can forestry companies prevent fragmenting habitats?

[ ]	By leaving corridors for animals to pass between areas of forest that are contnuing to grow
[ ]	By cutting in linear strips across the entire forest to allow animals to pass through
[ ]	By putting bridges in place to allow animals to cross the cut sections
[ ]	By only cutting every second tree to thin the forest, rather than stripping the forest to bare ground

How can road design work to incorporate wildlife corridors?

[ ]	By including concrete pavements to allow animals to walk along the side of the road
[ ]	By including roadside vegetation to allow a distinct wildlife corridor separate from the road itself
[ ]	By putting bridges between every possible piece of habitat
[ ]	By including signage and markings to warn drivers of crossing points

Which of the following is not a way farmers can help wildlife cross their land?

[ ]	By planting clumps of shrubs and trees in steps across larger fields
[ ]	By improving hedgerows and leaving field boundaries to grow wild
[ ]	By planting native grass in pastures where possible
[ ]	By erecting soild fencing and narrow boundaries between fields

10.

Migratory species can travel for thousands of miles. Besides willife corridors, what do they require?

[ ]	Refuges for stopping to rest and feed
[ ]	Food stations
[ ]	Methods of protecting them from external systems
[ ]	Manual help in crossing cities and other barriers

Geography Quiz - Wildlife Corridors (Answers)

What is a disadvantage of wildlife corridors?

[ ]	Wildlife corridors allow animals to move from habitat to habitat
[x]	Wildlife corridors allow animals to pass through or close to areas of human settlements
[ ]	Wildlife corridors give a fixed, safer route for animals to travel
[ ]	Wildlife corridors allow diverse groups to mix

One concern that local residents sometimes raise is the fact that animals passing through may leave the corridor to hunt, or that animals such as deer may be in close proximity to roads, leading to accidents

In terms of genetic diversity, how do wildlife corridors help prevent species extinction?

[x]	Wildlife corridors reduce inbreeding and genetic drift
[ ]	Wildlife corridors allow animals to escape hunting
[ ]	Wildlife corridors allow animals to use one area for hunting and one for breeding
[ ]	Wildlife corridors increase genetic drift and inbreeding

With a small population the risk of genetic conditions being widespread is increased. Allowing individuals to move between habitats allows a wider range of genetics and decreases the risks of negative recessive conditions being widespread in the population

How can housing developers and planners help wildlife?

[ ]	By blocking off developments to prevent animals entering the area and forcing them to pass around
[ ]	By making sure that routes funnel animals through the developments without pausing
[ ]	By making sure that there is clear signage on roads warning drivers about animal crossings
[x]	By providing gardens and green spaces for wildlife and humans, and leaving wildlife corridors for animals to pass through

Old railway lines and even streams are often converted into private and concealed wildlife corridors. Beyond that, gardens can be used as wildlife havens and refuges. Many housing developments have rules and regulations preventing homeowners paving over their gardens and encouraging wildlife corners

What is a riparian ribbon?

[ ]	A type of marking that shows road users where crossings intersect with roads
[ ]	A ribbon of wild land encircling a new development
[x]	A water based corridor such as a river or stream
[ ]	A wildlife corridor that snakes between settlements to allow passage without intersecting with developments

Many species, such as salmon, need to travel upstream to spawn. The banks and refuges also provide space for land animals to travel. Without management however, invasive plants can also spread via these corridors

How do dams prevent rivers being used as wildlife corridors?

[ ]	Dams normally have industrial developments either side. These will discourage animals
[ ]	The deeper water can drown some of the sensitive species
[x]	Species that move up or down river can't jump over the dam, and often the land originally either side is flooded
[ ]	The increased flow is too much for many species to swim against

The use of salmon ladders on many weirs and dams, as well as steps to allow them to jump up in smaller increments, has helped many species continue to use these riparian ribbons

What is habitat fragmentation?

[x]	Habitat is broken up by logging, roads, and other developments
[ ]	Fragments of habitat are brought back together
[ ]	Species that migrate are assigned different habitats for different times of the year
[ ]	Certain fragments of the habitat, such as particular plant species, are removed

By splitting habitats there may be enough habitat for the species. But without being able to access parts of the habitat or join other members of their species, animals suffer the same as they would if the other habitat had been lost

How can forestry companies prevent fragmenting habitats?

[x]	By leaving corridors for animals to pass between areas of forest that are contnuing to grow
[ ]	By cutting in linear strips across the entire forest to allow animals to pass through
[ ]	By putting bridges in place to allow animals to cross the cut sections
[ ]	By only cutting every second tree to thin the forest, rather than stripping the forest to bare ground

Whilst thinning can be done in traditional managed forests, commercial forests need to strip the forest to allow the large machines to enter. Leaving corridors of trees allows the animals to move between the fragmented sections of the forest

How can road design work to incorporate wildlife corridors?

[ ]	By including concrete pavements to allow animals to walk along the side of the road
[x]	By including roadside vegetation to allow a distinct wildlife corridor separate from the road itself
[ ]	By putting bridges between every possible piece of habitat
[ ]	By including signage and markings to warn drivers of crossing points

Motorways and railways often have a buffer of vegitation to reduce noise and air pollution for nearby residents. This strip of vegetation already provides a valuable habitat and corridor for a variety of species