Much of our work is supported by the pioneering theory of Island Biogeography, which was explored by renowned ecologists, E.O. Wilson and Robert McArthur. As the name implies, these two ecologists were interested in studying islands, but more specifically, they focused on factors that controlled the total biodiversity of any given island. While undertaking this island research, the biologists observed two important relationships that contributed to their overarching theory of Island Biogeography:

1)the further an island was from the mainland the less biodiversity the island contained,

2)the bigger an island was, the more biodiversity the island contained.

Thus, the theory of island biogeography states that the number of species found on any island, can be determined by the distance of the island from the mainland and the relative size of that island.

The Island Problem

Although two two biologists were studying islands in the ocean, the concept of an island is actually quite broad. Islands can be any habitat or ecosystem that is enclosed by any type of border. These borders don't have to be oceans; they can be mountain ranges, large rivers, and increasingly human developments.

Not surprisingly, its the human developments (roads, cities, farms, ect.) that been acknowledged as the primary causes of species decline throughout the world because they divide and fragment large spaces of habitat into smaller and smaller islands, further and further apart from each other.

Within the U.S. Northern Rockies, development and public lands management increasingly fragment (shrink, divide, and isolate) critical wildlife habitat. The designation of national parks, refuges, wilderness and roadless areas and other protected landscapes – while an important and praiseworthy first step toward conserving wild country - is creating a series of ‘habitat islands’. Such islands, if truly isolated, may eventually spell extinction for species within them through inbreeding, the effects of natural disasters on small, isolated populations and the inability of wildlife to re-colonize critical habitat. Without help, the region’s protected areas will become mere ‘holding pens’ for the rich native wildlife of the Northern Rockies.

American Wildlands' Solution

These days, American Wildlands has become well known as the “corridors” group, because much of our work is based on the conservation biology principles of “cores, corridors, and connectivity.” With large protected landscapes like Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, and the wilderness areas of central Idaho filling the role of “core” protected areas, it is critical that we find ways to manage the lands in between these "habitat islands" as “corridors of life" for wolves, grizzly bears, elk, native trout, and other wildlife.

To serve our conservation goals, all or our programs use an increasingly valuable technology, Geographic Information Systems (GIS). GIS is a computer technology that enables us to analyze ecological and demographic data in relationship to specific locations. GIS technology allows American Wildlands to pinpoint those lands and waters that represent the highest quality corridors connecting "island habitats" in the U.S. Northern Rockies.