ANCHOR is a landscape conservation approach developed to connect wildlife habitat, improve ecological resilience, and support rural economies across North America. Its name stands for “Areal Networks to Connect Habitat and Optimize Resiliency.” The initiative guides partners toward strategically important public and large private lands, called anchor sites, where coordinated conservation can strengthen habitat networks and wildlife movement.

ANCHOR combines species-specific connectivity models, site-ranking tools, and landscape-scale planning to help direct local action toward places with broader regional and continental value. Its work includes identifying migration corridors and connecting habitats so wildlife can better adapt to changing land use and climate impacts. The approach originated with grasslands and savannas connectivity modeling for Northern Bobwhite and is being extended to other species and landscapes, including a planned monarch butterfly model.

ANCHOR’s services and resources include connectivity science, maps, site-selection guidance, a fact sheet, and a registration form. Agencies, conservation organizations, businesses, partnerships, and landowners can collaborate to designate and manage anchor sites.