Spectacular Migrations in the Western US

Wildlife migration is a spectacular biological phenomenon. The regular migrations of wildlife – hoofed mammals, birds, and others – have aroused curiosity in human societies since time immemorial. The seasonal movements of large numbers of animals from summer to winter grounds, or in search of resources or safe breeding grounds, occurs across land and sea, and often against amazing obstacles. In our modern world, the spectacle of long-distance mammal migrations is becoming rare. It is estimated that over 90% of long-distance overland migrations have disappeared globally in the past 200 years. Those that remain are worth understanding and protecting. With expanding residential, resource extraction, agriculture, transportation development, and climate change, migrations face continued and compounding threats. In this report by the Wildlife Conservation Society, Keith Aune, colleagues, and biologists from 11 states gathered information about 24 terrestrial mammal migrations and 17 aerial migrations, all complex, and vulnerable. To prioritize these migration spectacles for conservation action, the group developed five independent evaluation categories, and filtered according to information in the literature and experts. This process resulted in a set of top five terrestrial mammal migrations and top five aerial migrations in need of conservation. The report details the status of these 10 spectacular wildlife phenomena and will be used to raise awareness and promote coordinated conservation action.

Read the full report here