Increasing Permeability of the Czech Road Network for Large Mammals

Abstract

The total length of motorways in the Czech Republic is expected to double within 20 years. A project run by the Agency of Nature Conservation and Landscape Protection of the Czech Republic evaluated the permeability of the current motorway network for large and medium-sized mammals. The method used is transferable to other countries. The project made recommendations for making critical motorway sections permeable by proposing minimum parameters, optimal locations and distances between wildlife passages on existing roads, and recommendations for building new roads. These recommendations were summarised in the handbook On the Permeability of Roads for Wildlife, which the Ministry of the Environment officially recommended for new motorways in the Czech Republic. A monitoring programme to evaluate the influence of traffic on wildlife populations and the effectiveness of mitigation measures is planned. High attention must be paid to the legal status of habitat fragmentation and to international legal harmonisation to facilitate cross-border cooperation.