While species-based conservation can be effective given the existing laws, KS Wild realizes the shortcomings of this approach. As part of the Biodiversity Campaign, KS Wild also analyzes species populations and habitat connections. We believe that land management agencies inadequately address the cumulative effects of logging and roadbuilding on landscape level wildlife migration routes. A metapopulation is a large population that consists of several smaller populations linked by emigration and immigration. Habitat fragmentation is a massive threat to many species distributed in this fashion.
Populations become isolated due to inadequate habitat to migrate through.
In other words, these species find it impossible to maintain metapopulation structure. Depending on the genetics of the species, once isolation has occurred, it is the beginning of the end for the species. In working to maintain viable populations of native plants and wildlife, one must consider the number and quality of available habitat patches as well as the potential for movement between them. For example, to hawks a large urban area may not be an impediment to travel. In contrast, rodents may be isolated by a small logging road.