Monitoring Connectivity
Practical guidance for selecting connectivity indicators to monitor restoration.
Improving ecological connectivity is central to landscape restoration. Reconnecting habitats allows species to move, disperse and adapt in fragmented environments. Yet while connectivity is widely recognised as a priority, it is rarely monitored in a consistent way. Limited data, competing methodologies and varying technical capacity make it difficult for practitioners to assess whether restoration is truly strengthening ecological networks.
This project addresses that gap. Working with restoration initiatives across Europe, it will develop clear, practical guidance to help projects measure how their work influences connectivity. The aim is to support robust, proportionate monitoring that works across different landscapes, restoration approaches and levels of expertise.
What the project will do
The project will first review existing connectivity metrics and assess how they relate to different types of restoration activity. It will examine which indicators are most suitable for tracking interventions such as habitat creation, corridor restoration or large-scale rewilding, and clarify their data requirements, strengths and limitations.
It will then collaborate directly with three projects supported by the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme: Cumbria Connect in the United Kingdom, the Greater Côa Valley in Portugal, and the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. In each landscape, the team will identify realistic and scientifically sound ways to monitor connectivity, grounded in local ecological conditions and available resources.
Finally, drawing on this applied work and consultation with connectivity specialists, the project will produce a practical guide for restoration practitioners. This guide will provide a clear decision pathway to support the selection of appropriate metrics and monitoring approaches, helping projects generate meaningful and comparable evidence of connectivity outcomes.
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