Wildlife Crossings as Patronage Projects

Large conservation infrastructure can be repurposed to channel public funds into networks of nonprofits, contractors, and specialized experts, expanding budgets well beyond initial estimates. These projects mix philanthropic branding, symbolic cultural practices, and claims about job creation to justify cost overruns and ongoing public subsidies. — This reframes certain green infrastructure as a fiscal and political vehicle that raises questions about oversight, procurement, and the tradeoffs of symbolic conservation spending.