The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has completed A Status Review of the Petitioned Southern California/Central Coast Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU) of Mountain Lion (Puma concolor couguar) in California, which will be considered by the Fish and Game Commission at its February 12 meeting in Sacramento. In the Status Review, the Department concludes that a distinct population segment (DPS) of mountain lions in the Southern California/Central Coast area meets the criteria for listing as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act (CESA).

CDFW estimates approximately 4,100 mountain lions statewide, including dependent young. Of these, roughly 1,400 animals—about one-third of the statewide population—occur within the petitioned Southern California/Central Coast DPS. Importantly, the Department’s analysis indicates that the primary concern within this region is not a lack of habitat or prey availability, but genetic isolation among multiple distinct populations, including several small and weakly connected subpopulations.

Throughout the Status Review, CDFW consistently identifies existing transportation infrastructure—particularly highways and freeways—as the dominant barrier to movement and gene flow where those facilities intersect natural movement corridors. Road mortality and restricted dispersal at these locations are repeatedly cited as the most significant threats affecting the long-term viability of the population within the petitioned area.

In response, the Department highlights wildlife crossings and related infrastructure improvements as a central strategy to restore connectivity between isolated populations. These recommendations focus on discrete locations where existing transportation corridors intersect known movement pathways and geographic chokepoints without providing effective means of passage.

The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, now nearing completion over U.S. Highway 101 in Los Angeles County, is cited as an example of how engineered infrastructure can directly address these site-specific connectivity challenges. When completed, it will be the largest wildlife crossing of its kind in the world and illustrates the scale of investment required to overcome barriers at critical movement corridors.

CDFW’s Status Review also identifies multiple locations statewide where similar infrastructure could substantially improve mountain lion mobility. These locations are overwhelmingly associated with existing state transportation corridors, reinforcing the Department’s conclusion that restoring movement at specific, biologically important pinch points—rather than through broad, landscape-wide land-use controls—is central to addressing the risks identified in the scientific record.

CalCIMA Table 1: Priority Wildlife Crossing Locations Identified in CDFW Status Review

Data Source: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, A Status Review of the Petitioned Southern California/Central Coast ESU of Mountain Lion (Puma concolor couguar) in California

As an illustrative upper-bound reference point, the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing carries an estimated project cost of approximately $92 million. While individual projects may cost less, or more, depending on site conditions, scale, and design requirements, this figure provides context for the magnitude of investment implied by the Department’s own list of priority connectivity locations.

Applying this reference cost across the seven highest-priority crossings identified in the Status Review suggests that achieving the Department’s connectivity objectives could reasonably require investment on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars statewide. This underscores a key takeaway from the report: The primary constraint identified by CDFW is not habitat availability, but the funding and implementation of targeted transportation infrastructure solutions.

In reviewing the Status Review and discussing its findings with Department staff and other stakeholders, CalCIMA focused on how management recommendations align with the threats identified in the scientific record. The report does not identify habitat shortage as a limiting factor within the petitioned area. Instead, it consistently emphasizes isolation, restricted dispersal, and the demographic and genetic risks that arise when movement between otherwise suitable habitats is constrained.

Finally, it is important to recognize that neither CDFW nor the Fish and Game Commission has appropriations authority to fund major transportation infrastructure improvements. Decisions regarding funding and prioritization of wildlife crossings and related projects ultimately rest with the Governor and the Legislature through the state budget and transportation programming processes. While Department staff indicated that lead agencies may look to CEQA to avoid additional constraints on movement because of the report, the Status Review identifies genetic isolation caused by existing transportation infrastructure, not habitat availability, as the primary biological risk. Addressing that primary risk therefore depends on state funding and implementation of targeted transportation infrastructure solutions to mitigate the impacts of existing transportation barriers identified in the report.