Our objective was to estimate the effect of road mortality on Palearctic reptilian biodiversity. Based on a bibliographic search of 354 references we compiled roadkill data for 138 reptile species in the Palearctic. We searched journals and other repositories, herpetological travel blogs and regional scientific/natural history literature using keywords regarding both reptile and road-related terms in different languages (target countries) whenever possible, but mainly in English, Spanish, Italian, or French. We accumulated 18.157 reptilian roadkill records from 38 countries, exploring both the XX and XXI centuries. Maximum number of species reported killed on roads were 48 (Spain) and 43 (Greece), followed by Morocco (34), Turkey (33), Bulgaria (24) and Italy (22). The first 10 species by abundance accounted for ⁓67% of the total reptiles reported as road casualties: Natrix natrix, Malpolon monspessulanus, Chamaeleo chamaeleon, Zamenis scalaris, Podarcis hispanicus, Hemorrhois hippocrepis, Anguis fragilis, Hierophis viridiflavus, Psammodromus algirus and Natrix tessellata. We also tested for the multi-species set the potential relationship between an evolutionary distinctiveness score and the variation in roadkill intensity in Palearctic reptiles. This large-scale approach could allow better information to allocate conservation efforts and contribute to the ecological integration of transport infrastructures to benefit this high-diversity vertebrate group.

The Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), a native vulnerable mammal species, is spread over almost whole Slovakia. The current most important negative factors affecting otters include road traffic accidents (RTAs) . RTAs occur particularly on roads along water bodies and the channels connecting water bodies or wetland habitats, mainly on congested roads. This problem is present in the transboundary middle Ipeľ river catchment as well.
In the period of 2010-2024, we randomly registered 15 killed otters in the app. 40 km long section of the lower intensity roads (2nd and 3rd class roads) along the Ipeľ River with tributaries and one train collision with otter. Collisions occurred in protected areas as well. Most of them were in the 32 km long section of the state Route No. 527 Šahy – Slovenské Ďarmoty. In March 2013, we registered the highest number of collisions, specifically 4 killed otters in this section. 9 otters were killed in the period of February-April, when Ipeľ River flooded surrounding areas close to the road. We selected several explanatory variables related to the immediate surroundings of the collision site (e.g. length of the road, distance of the water streams, spatial representation of urban areas etc.) in the 1000 m buffer circles. The average distance of the collision site from the watercourse was 280 m (30-628). Killed otters were also found near settlements. Their spatial representation in the 1000 m buffer circles was from 0 to 47%. Reducing the speed of vehicles in critical sections is not very effective.

Wildlife-vehicle collisions have become increasingly common and incidents with trains are no exception. In Sweden, train driver reports on accidents with wildlife have been available since 2001, and collected data provide a unique possibility to identify factors that may be linked to the temporal and spatial pattern. Our goal was to analyse the presence of trends on a large (country) scale, as well as a local (county) scale for number of ungulate-train collisions, and analyse possible factors influencing the number of collisions in the years 2003-2020. During 18 years, over 67,000 incidents with wild ungulates (moose, roe deer, wild boar, and deer – red deer and fallow deer), and 14,500 accidents with semi-domestic reindeer have been recorded along the 11,783 km railway network. Accidents in all wild ungulate species showed a steady upward trend over the years on the country scale, and on the local scale (calculated for each county in Sweden) (confirmed by Mann-Kendall Trend Test). Only for semi-domestic reindeer, the trends weren't clear on the local scale. To understand those trends, we used changes in wildlife hunting statistics, number of predators, and number of inhabitants as possible variables influencing the number of ungulate-train collisions. Because of some changes between north, south, or central part of Sweden, the location of the county was also used in analyses. Our results showed the influence of year, hunting bag size, and number of inhabitants on ungulate-train collisions. Such results allow us to discuss the implications for developing mitigation strategies.

The implementation of the project Permeability of transport infrastructure for fauna as a condition for safe and sustainable transport started in 2022. Nature Conservation Agency cooperates with HBH Projekt Ltd. and Transport Research Centre. One of the project objectives is to verify the effectiveness of 2 types of animal detterents and to introduce a methodology for their use. Regular monitoring of mammal vehicle-collision mortality has started in March 2022. Selected I. and II. class road sections are monitored in the Vysočina region once per week. At the end of 2023, 2 types of combined animal detterents: optical-acoustic (Deer Detter) and optical-olphactory (Hagopur combiset) were installed on 7 monitored sections (together 19 km). Control sections remained without the treatment. The data from treated sections are collected from three sources: own monitoring, data from the police and data from hunters. Results from monitoring period 3/2022-11/2023 indicate a high mortality rate on monitored sections (without detterents). The following list summarises the total number of individuals recorded on the basis of own monitoring / data from hunters: Roe deer (28/198), Wild boar (5/45), Fallow deer (0/13), Marten (41/5), Hare (17/24), Hedgehog (35/0), Red fox (11/10), European polecat (0/1), European Badger (1/2), Least weasel (3/0). However, there are differences between the individual road sections. The issue of animal-vehicle collision on roads and its impact on genetic diversity and fragmentation has been known for long period. The data will contribute to reducing animal population fragmentation as a major negative environmental impact of transport.

The « Conseil Départemental de Loire-Atlantique (44) » (CD44 located in western France) is committed to taking account of biodiversity on its road infrastructure. One of the CD44's initiatives has been to carry out a large-scale protocol-based collision survey. He aims to collect data in order to detect points of conflict between wildlife and roads. But, are these collision points distributed randomly or are they aggregated spatially along the road network studied ? Answering this is critical to determine the positioning of measures to re-establish ecological continuity according to the movement issues of the species. The collision survey was carried out over a full year (3 surveys per week / 149 surveys), by bicycle, along 20km of road, for a total of 1082 collision data spread over 80 taxa, 85% of which are protected at national level. It’s the first study on this scale at national level. It has objectively demonstrated the considerable impact of road trafic on wildlife, particularly small species (amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, passerines). Its objective of precisely identifying areas of high animal mortality linked to trafic was also achieved, enabling wildlife-friendly developments to be designed. The creation of a warming area for reptiles combined with underpasses is one of the most innovative.

In Hokkaido, Japan, approximately 4,000 deer vehicle collisions (DVCs) occur annually. It is a serious problem at the cost of human injuries or deaths as well as huge economic damage. A field survey was conducted in a DVC prone section of a national highway to identify if roadside weeding would be useful to improve drivers visibility to detect deer hiding in the weeds and it would be led to DVC decrease. It was because overgrowing roadside weeds might prevent drivers from detecting deer hidden in the weeds and resulted in DVCs. Clearing roadside weeds may facilitate drivers to detect deer, improving drivers’ visibility.
To experimentally prove the weeding effects on drivers’visibility improvement to prevent DVCs, weeding was conducted during autumn, the sika deer migration season when DVCs occur frequently. In the experiment, three sample sections with common 60cm-width weeding, 3m-width weeding, and no weeding were set. The driving behavior of the drivers and the appearance of the deer were monitored using a time-lapse camera.
　As a result, the number of DVCs decreased in the 3m-width weeding section compared to that before the experiment, and the speeds of the vehicles passing the section decreased when the deer was recognized by the driver. Those results indicate that 3m-width roadside weeding is a useful and cost-effective countermeasure against DVCs, contributing to road traffic safety.

There are various measures to prevent deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs), such as the installation of warning signs and deer-proof fences. In this study, as a waring measure to drivers to prevent DVCs, road surface warning markings were tested and the effects were measured. The test site was a section of a national highway located in east Hokkaido, Japan. Though road surface markings are often used as a measure to prevent general traffic accidents, they are rarely used to prevent vehicle collisions with animals. The words, layout, and font size of the tested road surface markings were determined as they effectively visible to catch drivers’ attention as a warning measure. To draw drivers’ attention to the road surface markings, a hump was installed short of the warning markings that continued to appear three times. The effectiveness of the warning markings was measured by a questionnaire survey of drivers, monitoring the passing vehicles’ speeds, using a simple traffic counter, and changes in the number of DVCs before and after the test. The questionnaire survey showed that approx. 70% of the drivers who saw the warning markings were aware of the DVC risk, and approx. 40% of them took action to check roadway surroundings. As a result of the vehicle speed monitoring, approx. 60% of the vehicles passing the test site slowed down on straight sections. The number of accidents decreased by approx. 20% after the installation of the markings. The test results above confirmed that the warning markings are effective countermeasures against DVCs.

Understanding and proper perception of the wildlife warning sign can help reduce the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions. A questionnaire survey, given to 135 drivers with at least one year of driving experience, was conducted in Czechia in 2023. The survey had two parts: the experimental and the questionnaire. The former part consisted of presenting images, taken from a driver’s perspective, to the respondents and then asking them to identify all the warning signs. The latter part involved interviewing the respondents about six statements concerning eight selected warning signs, including the wildlife warning sign.

The obtained results demonstrate that the drivers paid attention to the warning signs. Their attention was generally higher at night than during the daytime. This difference was not statistically significant, however, for the wildlife warning sign. The questionnaire revealed that experienced drivers and drivers who had already experienced a collision with wildlife were more aware of this risk. The latter group would be more likely to reduce car speed at this sign while the former group would not. The drivers agreed on the higher importance of this sign at dusk than during the daytime.

Our preliminary findings, obtained from a small sample, can be used as a starting point for the next research concerning designing more effective signage including educational campaigns for drivers.

With ungulate-vehicle collisions (UVC) on the rise, evaluating the effectiveness of mitigation measures, particularly for secondary roads, has become of great importance for road managers. A two-year state-wide experimental study was conducted in Czechia in 2021–2022 to test the performance of olfactory repellents (ORE) in preventing UVC. Thus far, there have been contradictory results concerning ORE effectiveness. Therefore, our goal was to clarify this issue. Extensive roadkill monitoring was conducted in line with the before-after control-impact study design. In total, 150 km of roads were surveyed on foot once a week for 14 weeks during each year.

The gathered data revealed a decrease in UVC when ORE were applied. Estimating the true value of the decrease was clouded, however, by a great deal of uncertainty due to a wide confidence interval. After pooling the data and applying the Bayesian inference, we observed strong evidence for a 33–66% UVC decrease when ORE were applied. Additionally, the effect was more pronounced right after installation, suggesting that for a short time period (representing UVC peaks), ORE could effectively reduce the frequency of UVC on secondary roads.

This contribution aims to discuss both methodological and practical issues experienced prior to and during the experimental study, as well as presenting the achieved results.

The number of wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) has been increasing significantly in recent years in many countries around the world. This negative phenomenon causes significant economic damage and poses a threat to traffic safety, but above all a threat to human and animal life. In Europe, odour repellents (OR) are often used to change the behaviour of wildlife near roads and thus reduce the incidence of WVCs. For two years (in the spring and summer seasons) we monitored roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) using photo traps near roads in the Czech Republic. The behaviour of roe deer (the most common victim of WVCs) was compared between the period without OR and with the OR. Roe deer behaviour was divided into three different phases (arrival, reaction, leaving) and evaluated over time. There was no significant prolongation of the reaction phase after OR application. Individuals refused to cross the road with similar probability with and without the OR.
A negative correlation was found between the time gap of passing vehicles and the reaction time of deer in cases without and with the use of OR. Our results do not indicate a difference in roe deer behaviour without and with OR.
Our findings suggest that OR do not show the expected effect.

Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) have been on the rise in many countries recently. Road managers have to select both effective and affordable WVC mitigation measures which are appropriate for the roads under their administration. The decision-making process is not, however, always in line with the recent findings drawn from the relevant research. This means that inappropriate measures (in terms of either effectivity or overall price) are often implemented.

In order to help the stakeholders, involved in the process of planning, approval, and implementation of measures to reduce WVC, we developed a decision support tool (NPR). It is accessible at https://npr.cdvinfo.cz. The tool contains information on the most frequently used WVC mitigation measures in Czechia, their pros and cons, recommendations for their application, and links to the relevant scientific literature. The user can specify the input parameters, such as the type of considered WVC measure (e.g., fencing, odour repellents, wildlife-warning reflectors), installation length or traffic intensity and the tool will automatically evaluate the suitability and benefit of the measure over the longer term.

We present a geospatial method (STKDE+) which is capable of identifying potential negative effects of wildlife-vehicle collision measures, particularly fencing. The STKDE+ conducts, on the basis of roadkill data, spatial-temporal hotspot analysis and visualizes the hotspot locations and their temporal evolution. Hotspots stability, emergence and disappearance are three elementary hotspot patterns which can be determined from the STKDE+ analysis.
Each of the patterns reflects certain typical issues related to fencing and its effects on wildlife. While hotspots stability provides information about long-lasting problems, hotspots disappearance can be proof of successful mitigation. The fence-end effect, fence construction defects or technical errors made during improper installation can thus be identified from collision or roadkill data. The STKDE+ analysis, as an exploratory analysis, should always be accompanied by subsequent field verification and inspection around the hotspot locations. The STKDE+ analysis has been incorporated by the Czech National Road Administration into routine analysis of traffic collisions which is followed by prioritization of places for subsequent mitigation. We present examples of the STKDE+ applications on roadkill data from three continents.

Exclusion fences alongside roads and railways are abundant throughout Scandinavia, aiming to reduce wildlife-related vehicle collisions for over half a century, but with limited effect. Despite their prevalence, several unresolved issues continue to compromise their safety and effectiveness. Our project aims to enhance the evaluation and refinement of current fencing designs by a) assessing the cost-effectiveness of fences and supplementary safety measures, b) identifying deficiencies in existing fences that contribute to accident clusters, and c) monitoring and assessing additional measures such as escape ramps, cattle grids, level crossings, and other fence improvements using camera traps. Given that effective monitoring requires extended periods to document the rare interactions of wildlife with these structures, we are eager to connect with others who have done or are doing similar endeavors. We invite collaboration and dialogue to enrich our understanding and outcomes. Ultimately, this initiative seeks to establish improved standards for future fencing and mitigation efforts by the Swedish Transport Administration.

Landscape fragmentation by the linear transportation infrastructure and dense traffic therein negatively affect natural movement of wildlife. More than 10% of bird and bat (BB) populations perish at places where roads they cross their migratory corridors. Protective walls in such locations could lead to a reduction of the BB mortality. Identifying areas where protective walls should be mounted, as well as testing their technical design, is a key to maintaining the permeability of BB migratory corridors. As the evidence of BB behaviour in the vicinity of the walls is still lacking, their design and installation are only based on general assumptions of their effectiveness. The primary objective of this research is to determine what proportion of flying individuals the walls can protect from collisions with motor traffic. The project, funded by the EU under the Czech-Saxon Interreg 2021-2027 programme, aims to reduce the negative impacts of roads on birds and bats. It contains activities covering a biological survey, making a roadkill database and an electronic map of the risk areas as well as field testing the technical parameters of the protective walls.

Several designs of bat gantries are available, but their effectiveness remains unclear. However, empirical studies (i.e., including before-after, control-impact treatments, and replicates) are often not feasible. Therefore, we studied bat presence and behaviour at a bat gantry. The bat gantry consisted of a vertical metal sheet of 1 m high, which spanned a 30-meter wide dual carriageway with two lanes in each direction at a height of 5.5 m. The bat gantry adjoined several tall oak trees, and the road had a 2.5 m tall noise screen at one side. We used Batcorders at both sides of the road throughout the 2021 and 2022 active seasons, synchronised with two heat cameras during a total of five 2-hour sessions in 2021 and 2022. Although some Myotis and Plecotus spp. were present at both sides of the road, the bat gantry was mostly used by Pipistrellus pipistrellus, with a single uncertain observation of one individual in the other two genera. Furthermore, a handful Eptesicus serotinus, Nyctalus noctula and Pipistrelles nathusii were observed at the bat gantry, despite significant numbers at both sides of the road. In total, 108 crossings of Pipistrellis pipistrellus were observed, 102 of which were directly above or along the bat gantry. The remaining six crossings were below the bat gantry, rendering the bats vulnerable to collisions. We conclude that the bat gantry appears to aid safe crossings of P. pipistrellus, but our methodology did not provide conclusive evidence. Our bat gantry was hardly used by other bat taxa.

The assessment of where to implement mitigation measures to reduce animal-vehicle collisions (AVC) on operating roads in the state of São Paulo, in Brazil, is based on information from road inspections, primarily focused on user safety, and regulation regarding the disposal dead animals. Specific studies are conducted in the case of licensing roads, however the environmental regularization of operating roads has some limitations. This study aims to present the methodological and analytical advances of a novel regulation to reduce AVC based on a two-year transdisciplinary co-production process. This collaborative effort involved over ninety stakeholders (the state environmental agency, road administrators, researchers, and legal representatives) and a public consultation. The process was characterized by its context-based, pluralistic, goal-oriented, and interactive nature. The main advances were: 1) Road survey focusing on animals following standard procedures; 2) Species identification by an expert; 3) Standard analytical procedures to identify the locations to implement mitigation; 4) Consideration of protected areas, 5) Proposition of the mitigation measures based on species functional groups; 6) Prioritization of the location for mitigation measures; 7) Mitigation implementation based on modular schedule; and 8) Data standardization to be sent for the environmental agency. Including representatives from all state road sector gives more credibility to the decisions. Participatory construction can act as quality control for the decision process, increase acceptance of the results, and generate mutual learning by creating collaborative networks. Implementing the effort described will qualify and facilitate decision-making, resulting in more effective mitigation actions targeting more than 22,000 km.

The transport infrastructure that facilitates the development in northern Sweden has negative impacts on the wildlife and the Sami indigenous people of Sweden. The timber and mining industry together with infrastructure affect the reindeer herding due to loss of undisturbed habitat and disruption of ancient migration routes. Reindeer herding has an east-west geographical grazing area (50 to 200 kilometres in length) divided into summer, spring, autumn, and winter grazing lands.
When planning infrastructure, it is important to consider the impacts on the reindeer and the Sami peoples ancient herding. Difficult passages across roads and railroads and traditional migration routes must be identified and serve as knowledge base when wildlife fence and new fauna passages are planned.

Alternative actions need to be developed, for example wildlife-warning systems, or temporal reduced speed for cars or trains. It is important to consider all aspects mentioned, together with cumulative effects from other exploitations to find good solutions together with the Sami communities.

The conditions for infrastructure in the northern part of Sweden differs a lot from the southern part of Sweden and the rest of Europe. The area is sparsely populated and there are long distances between cities and communities. However, mines and other linked industries, requires high standard transportation facilities. The reindeer follows ancient migration routes in the landscape, and these are difficult to re-route or move. When planning infrastructure, it is important to consider the impacts on the reindeer and the Sami peoples ancient herding.

Recently in Paraguay, within the framework of the works for access to the Second Paraguay - Brazil International Bridge, topographical conditions made it unfeasible to construct culverts as wildlife crossings, leading to the incorporation of an elevated wildlife crossing in the project. This aims to restore the original migration route of wildlife at ground level, allowing the project's alignment to be executed underneath without major inconveniences. This structure will be the first of its kind in Paraguay. While it is considered a significant advancement, it also poses a major challenge due to limited experience in all related processes, primarily those associated with surface conditioning, ensuring the functionality of the structure, and restoring connectivity to the area fragmented by the road construction.

Since 2020, these structures have been incorporated in Paraguay as mitigation measures for the impacts generated by road construction. However, several challenges persist not only in the construction itself but also in the planning process, primarily related to: i) understanding the population dynamics of ecosystems, ii) balancing the needs of wildlife with human functionality, iii) securing adequate and sustainable long-term financing, iv) political willingness to adopt wildlife crossings as mitigation measures, v) acceptance and participation of local communities, and vi) measuring the long-term effectiveness of wildlife crossings.

The main challenge in Paraguay lies in the lack of regulations related to incorporating structures to restore connectivity to affected areas, as well as the lack of records to better inform decision-making.

This study aims to assess the utilization status of Wildlife Crossing Structures by wild animals(mammals) in South Korea, providing fundamental data that can be utilized for ecological corridor restoration and reducing wildlife vehicle collisions.
32 out of 564 Wildlife Crossing Structures in South Korea were selected as study sites. The selection criteria for these Wildlife Crossing Structures were as follows: 1. Highways or roads with four lanes or more, 2. Overpass shapes accessible to both herbivorous and carnivorous mammals, 3. Existence of fences, 4. Existence of median-strips, indicating areas where wildlife usage was expected to be high.
Two Trail cameras(Reconyx HyperFire 2) were installed inside each of the 32 wildlife crossing structures and monitored for approximately 6 months.
Presence of mammals was observed in all Wildlife Crossing Structures. The species observed include Water deer (Hydropotes inermis) - 53.15%, Asian badger (Meles leucurus) - 14.86%, Common raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) - 11.61%, Wild boar (Sus scrofa) - 7.85%, Cat (Felis catus) - 4.87%, Dog (Canis familiaris) - 1.77%, Siberian roe deer (Capreolus pygargus) - 1.62%, Yellow-throated marten (Martes flavigula) - 1.37%, Leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) - 0.84%, Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) - 0.66%, Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica) - 0.63%, Korean hare (Lepus coreanus) - 0.31%, Rodentia - 0.2%, Siberian chipmunk (Eutamias sibiricus) - 0.14%, Formosan sika deer (Cervus nippon taiouanus) - 0.05%, Amur hedgehog (Erinaceus amurensis) - 0.04%, and Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) - 0.02%.

It is frequently the case that ecoducts have multiple functions and in addition to providing a migratory connection for wildlife, they also have other purposes such as a forest/field road or a hiking trail connection across a highway. Such use for human needs, however, obviously takes away the room for wildlife migrations. This paper will present the results of a wide monitoring of ecoducts on transport networks in the Czech Republic using camera traps with a focus on the use of individual objects for human activities and animal use. In total, the use of 23 migratory objects was monitored for at least part of the year, with one to three GSM-equipped cameratraps installed at each site to effeciently cover entire area of ecoduct. Approximately half of the sites were monitored year-round. To receive, process, and evaluate the images from the traps, a common database was set up, which automatically stores the photos from incoming emails as individual records. These records are subsequently manually analyzed and cleaned of blank and repeated shots. The relevant records from were statistically analysed and aggregated into patterns representing the use of objects in daily, weekly and seasonal rhythms.

Road works in the world are understood as means of communication and integration between local and regional economies, such as the Bioceanic Road Corridor in South America, which will integrate Paraguay to better development opportunities. However, this road system was established in forest ecosystems of Dry Chaco and Pantanal ecoregions, impacting the environment and wildlife. The impacts generated to the fauna are directly related to the fragmentation of their habitat and roadkill by drivers. Among the environmental mitigation measures applied by the MOPC is the adaptation of culverts or bridges to function as wildlife crossings, aiming to partially reestablish connectivity and reduce the mortality of surrounding wildlife. The general goal was to learn about the fauna in the area of direct influence of National Route PY 015, such as mammals, in order to foresee better environmental management mechanisms in future projects of this type in the area. The methodology consisted of installing simple camera-trap stations in 13 regular culverts which were adapted to function as wildlife passages as well; 4 monitoring campaigns were carried out. Phototrapping stood out for capturing and revealing 22 species that use the wildlife crossings or are found in the wildlife passes area, with the Cerdocyon thous species being the most abundant, followed by the Procyon cancrivorus. Finally, the culverts adapted as a mitigation measure bore out their effectiveness through the gathered data, registering mammals such as Chrysocyon brachyurus, Leopardus pardalis, Leopardus geoffroyi, Priodontes maximus and Myrmecophaga tridactyla; the last two tagged in the vulnerable.

Kolu ecoduct, Estonia's first wildlife overpass was built in 2013 during the reconstruction of Aruvalla-Kose road section on E263, one of the most important national routes in Estonia.
In order to compare changes in crossing frequency of different animal groups in Kolu ecoduct, we analyzed trail camera data from the initial monitoring period 12.03.2015–31.10.2016 (1585 camera-registered crossings) and the follow-up monitoring period 06.11.2020–25.10.2022 (1308 camera-registered crossings). Additional crossing data collected by track observations was not included.
The proportions of crossings of different animal groups have changed significantly over the years – while the proportion of domestic animal crossings has undergone a striking decline from 36% to 9,4%, the proportion of large game crossings has increased significantly – from 19% to as much as 58%. The share of small game crossings from all recorded crossing events has slightly decreased from 37% to 31%. The animal species remained unidentified in 3,6% and 0,5% of crossing events during initial and follow-up monitoring project, respectively. We find it positive that human encounters on Kolu ecoduct were quite rare during the initial monitoring period (4,2%), and during the follow-up monitoring humans were recorded only a few times (0,2% of all crossing events).
As traffic volumes on Estonian main roads have steadily increased, the role of Kolu overpass, like other wildlife crossing structures must be considered crucial in ensuring safe road crossings and mitigating the barrier effect.

Minimal functional dimensions of wildlife overpasses differ and are location specific where ‘the wider, the better’ is a rule of thumb. These optimal dimensions are however in some situations not always possible to realize in terms of costs or spatial feasibility.
During a period of 2-6 months in 2023 an indicative study was conducted with trail cameras to get a first impression of the range of species that use a small wildlife overpass (40 meter long and 3 meters wide) across the highway N297 in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.
Results show a surprising frequent use of the overpass by Roedeer (Capreolus capreolus) as was also seen in stone marten (Martes foina) and fox (Vulpes vulpes). Incidental use was registered for stoat (Mustela erminea) and hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus).
With these preliminary results we are not arguing to invest in under dimensioned mitigation measures. We do however encourage to stay focused on the possibilities for wildlife measures and try to create an added value for local wildlife where it seems that under certain circumstances ‘smaller’ designs can have a positive effect.

The function of fauna passages depends on their design, including construction materials, soil and vegetation. Providing “naturalness” in fauna passages may entail significant costs, yet its benefits are incompletely understood. In particular, there is a demand for better knowledge support regarding combining passages for large fauna with minor roads, trails and watercourses. By using camera trap data collected across the passages, we examined ungulate substrate use in seven passages serving both fauna and local roads (overpasses) and fauna and watercourses (underpasses) in boreal Sweden and Finland. While all substrates were used, during snow-free periods, ungulates used smoother surfaces (fine-grained topsoil, grass, artificial fiber mat, and dirt road) more than expected based on their availability. Coarser surface (stony/rocky ground), shrub, and water were used less than expected. The results for road and water were however inconsistent between passages; in one overpass road was instead used less than expected, and in one underpass the water section was used particularly during winter but also by moose wading or swimming through in summer and autumn. The general patterns of use largely remained when we analysed data on species level, although these analyses were restricted because of limited sample sizes. While our study has limitations with regard to inference, we argue that it still offers valuable insights for the planning and construction of fauna passages. To our knowledge, this study was the first of its kind describing how ungulates use different substrates in fauna passages, and we suggest to conduct further research in the field.

In recent decades, significant highway developments have taken place in Hungary. As part of this, the number of wildlife crossings in the country has increased significantly. A study was conducted on a 10-kilometer section of the M80 expressway, opened at the end of 2021, where four large wildlife overpasses were constructed. The average dimensions of these overpasses were as follows: the width of the traffic corridor was 18.5 meters, and the crossing length was 124.2 meters. All overpasses were designed in an oval shape and equipped with wooden noise barriers. In the area, four large mammal species—red deer (Cervus elaphus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and fallow deer (Dama dama)—are present, all subject to hunting exploitation. The overpasses were monitored for two years using automatic camera traps. Events of appearance and the species observed were recorded in the database. The habitat was determined within a 500-meter radius around each overpass, utilising the land cover database of the "Hungary Ecosystem Basemap" with a resolution of 20x20 meters. Analyses were conducted to determine the spatial and temporal usage dynamics for the species included in the study. Significant differences were observed among the species included, and variations were also noted among the different overpasses. Changes in agricultural practices, distances to other linear facilities, and proximity to populated areas influenced the usage intensity.
This publication is supported by RRF-2.1.2-21-2022-00011.

Habitat fragmentation, primarily induced by human activities, is a significant detriment to ecosystems. This process entails the disappearance or fragmentation of natural habitats (biotopes), with linear transportation networks as the primary cause of isolation. Notably, motorways and expressways exhibit the most pronounced isolation effects due to fences, wide carriageways, and heavy traffic. Our research focused on assessing medium-sized concrete box culverts equipped with sand benches. Traces recorded within these culverts were analysed to identify species utilising them. While our findings did not reveal a linear increase in culvert usage, we observed notable seasonal variations. Notably, a peak in usage was observed during the summer-autumn season, contrasting with decreased usage during winter-spring. The red fox emerged as the most commonly encountered species, followed by small carnivores, with badgers trailing behind. The data suggests suboptimal passage utilisation by badgers, evidenced by their higher return rates. Overall, our results indicate that the road structures under study hold promise in alleviating habitat fragmentation effects.
This publication is supported by RRF-2.1.2-21-2022-00011.

On the first of June 2023, an updated technical regulation for migration objects in road construction came into practice in Slovakia. The purpose of the TS is to determine the scope of the design of wildlife crossings that address the intersection of wildlife migratory routes with a road. They also stipulate the procedure and selection of suitable parameters for wildlife crossing structures and defines the limits of the functionality of these structures for categories of wildlife. They also lay down the procedures and formalities for the operation of these structures. TS also define and unify procedures and steps towards the creation of functional wildlife crossing structures. Identification of parameters that help to assess the permeability of roads from the point of view of wildlife migration. Identification of basic technical and ecological parameters, as well as methods of implementation and operation, when a structure can be considered functional. These procedures shall also ensure the safety and smoothness of road traffic. These TS are intended for migration study authors, designers, investor organisations, government authorities or other related organisations.

Since the middle of the 1990´s the Swedish Transport Administration has applied a designated budget for environmental measures in the existing road and rail infrastructures. The budgeted resources have been used to mitigate environmental deficiencies in the existing infrastructure, but not for operations and maintenance or major infrastructure developments. The four environmental areas are: Noise pollution, Contaminated areas, Water and Landscape.
Within Landscape, for example, barriers restricting movement for wild animals are remedied. Between 2014-2023 more than 10 wildlife crossings for large mammals (e.g reindeer, moose and deer) have been built, 490 crossings for otters, 290 migration barriers for fish. The total annual budget has increased through the years and is now in the region of 140 million EUR.

Globally, there is an ever-increasing human pressure on the environment. Human development and the growing transport network cause severe problems for wildlife, such as landscape fragmentation, reduced habitat connectivity, wildlife-vehicle collisions, destruction of native habitats, etc. A number of compensatory measures are being taken to mitigate these issues. In our study, we monitored wildlife and human activity on ecological corridors and wildlife crossing structures (WCSs) at almost 50 sites in two pilot areas in Austria using photo traps for more than a year. A total of 18 mammal species and 25 bird species were recorded, with the most frequent records of roe deer, European hare and wild boar. The collected mammal record data were compared to buffer areas around the monitoring site and to the presence of vegetation using the layer of EUNIS habitat types 2018. Positive correlations were found with the ecological stability coefficient (the ratio of stable areas with vegetation to unstable areas) and the species abundance of mammals, including their average daily activity. It was also found that green bridges were used by a higher number of mammals than underpasses and the grey overpass. The effectiveness of the monitored types of WCSs was negatively affected by human activity. Our work suggests that ecological corridors may not be identical to corridors identified based on a GIS approach. For successful planning and protection of the landscape permeability for wildlife, it is advisable to promote vegetation in connection with suitable WCSs (particularly green bridges) over essential linear infrastructure.

Landscape fragmentation is a process in which originally continuous areas are divided into smaller segments. Landscape fragmentation disrupts the ecological links between different places and impairs the movement of animals. The aim of this contribution is to present an analysis of the current state and development of landscape fragmentation in Czechia using the well-known metric Effective Mesh Size. The analysis of landscape fragmentation was carried out on the data of anthropogenic infrastructure (ZABAGED database, ČÚZK, etc.) and calculated in a regular grid of squares. A total of four variants of fragmentation geometry (A, B, C, D) were created in a combination of current state, future state, and migration objects. The degree of landscape fragmentation has increased slightly since the 1920s, and in 2022 the effective mesh size reached an average value of 36.9 km2 (with a median value of 15.2 km2). The most fragmented territories are currently located around urban agglomerations with a high density of settlements and road networks (surroundings of Prague, Brno, Ostrava, etc.). On the other hand, the least fragmented areas are the high mountains of Krkonoše, Šumava, Hrubý Jeseník, and Moravskoslezské Beskydy, and, for example, former and current military training areas (Brdy, Hradiště, Libavá, etc.). The influence of migration objects appeared to be significant only in their immediate vicinity and gradually decreased with distance. It transpired that there were other fragmenting elements in the wider area. Limiting the effects of worsening landscape fragmentation is desirable as an approach to landscape protection.

The unprecedented rate of linear transport infrastructure (LTI) development is a key driver of global biodiversity decline. Protected areas face severe impacts as LTI expands within them or nearby, often endangering ecosystems, species, and habitats and their connections. Without biodiversity safeguards, rapid LTI expansion risks undermining decades of conservation progress. Balancing socio-economic benefits with ecological concerns requires planners and decision-makers to prioritize biodiversity and ecological connectivity.

The IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas has a Connectivity Conservation Specialist Group that empowered its Transport Working Group to create a technical report, ‘Addressing ecological connectivity in the development of roads, railways, and canals’. This report addresses LTI’s adverse impacts and offers science-based strategies for protected and conserved area managers, transport practitioners, industry, and conservationists. It promotes best practices across the various phases of infrastructure development and emphasizes the need for cross-sectoral commitments to governance, policies, and financing. By highlighting effective solutions, the report aims to inspire global action toward successful conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and resilient landscapes.

Incorporating the technical report's content directly into a poster presentation will offer attendees a comprehensive visual resource. The poster will focus on key recommendations outlined within the report while directing participants to a digital version.

MitiConnect is an operational tool helping stakeholders to consider ecological connectivity in their development projects. It was developed under the umbrella of the French Resource Centre on Green and Blue Infrastructure. The starting point was the difficulty stakeholders currently have in quantifying the impacts of their plans or projects on ecological connectivity. The quantification issue is one of the reasons explaining why the implementation of the mitigation hierarchy does not take sufficient account of ecological connectivity.
MitiConnect is intended to fill the gap and replace the current empirical assessments of impacts on ecological connectivity with a scientific-based quantification. The tool is a Q-GIS plugin that automatically calculates the impacts of the project by means of different metrics like Equivalent Connectivity of Saura et al. (2011). A graphical interface guides the user through the different steps of the process from the selection of the targeted species to the connectivity analysis.
Based on Graphab, MitiConnect translates potential options of the project at the different stages of the mitigation hierarchy into connectivity metrics. Comparing the results helps the stakeholder to identify the best scenario at each stage, resulting in the most virtuous project.
The poster will present the tool’s principles and a detailed example to explain how it can be used at the different life stages of an infrastructure project. Since March 2024, 18th, MitiConnect can be freely downloaded in both french and english versions from GitHub.

The expected increase in transport infrastructure worldwide is 35 – 60% by 2050. The most significant negative effects of roads on the environment include, among others, fragmentation, creation of movement barriers, and wildlife-vehicle collisions. This work evaluates the proposal of mitigation measures to reduce these negative effects and their follow-up monitoring within the framework of the Environmental Impact Assessment process (EIA) in the Czech Republic and Slovakia between 2003 and 2023. We investigated whether there were changes in the design of measures over time, learning or lessons from previous EIA processes, and whether the design of measures was transferred between individual phases of the EIA process. This study considers 141 road projects in both countries for which the EIA process was initiated. The research finds differences in development between countries as well as in the way of learning from previous processes and proposes recommendations for subsequent EIA processes for highway construction.

Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) represent a long-term problem that results in both large financial damages to property and a considerable amount of injury or death of wildlife even human casualties. In 2021, 15.261 WVC were reported by the Police of the Czech Republic, with a total damage value exceeding EUR 25 million. This comprehensive problem with WVC and its mitigation measures must be reflected in the strategic documents that stipulate the framework for future approval of linear transportation infrastructure projects. As part of this research, strategic documents with a connection to the transport sector and its Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) were evaluated. During the research, the presence of road ecology criteria in the given documents was examined. The main objectives are (i) to clarify whether the content of transport strategies in terms of road ecology criteria has changed in recent years, (ii) to evaluate whether new knowledge about road ecology and experience from previous SEA processes led to improved coverage and adoption of mitigating measures in the field of road ecology in the Czech Republic between 2003 and 2023 and (iii) evaluating whether there were significant relationships between the different phases of the SEA process in seems of transferring of obligations. The research outcomes will serve as an outline for the development of concepts related to transportation and regional development. Stakeholders and decision-makers from state administration may benefit from the research outcomes.

The TEN-T policy is a key instrument for the development of efficient and high-quality transportation of people and goods across the EU. In Greece, the core network, including the Egnatia motorway, aims at linking Greece with the Balkan and European countries.
The Xanthi-Echinos-Greek Bulgarian Borders axe is one of the planned vertical axes, with its northernmost part being the Melivoia-Dimario-Greek Bulgarian Borders subsection, stretching along 16.5km in core bear habitat. The construction of this subsection started in 2019 with funding from the NSRF (2014-2020) after an EIA was finalized. According to the EIA terms and regulations, an ex-ante Environmental Monitoring Program for Large Carnivores was foreseen before construction. However, the contracting company (Egnatia Odos SA) did not comply and the construction in the most mountainous part of this subsection started nonetheless.
Fortunately, in 2019, LIFE ARCPROM (LIFE18 NAT/GR/000768) project implementation aiming to improve human-bear coexistence conditions in Greece and Italy started. The vertical axe construction site being located within the project area, the project deemed it crucial to intervene due to total lack of compliance to the EIA. Callisto in collaboration with the Rodopi Mountain-Range National Park reported this non-compliance to the EIA’s regulations and Egnatia Odos SA was forced to fund a 3-year Environmental Monitoring Program even though road construction had already started.
The program outcome provided Egnatia Odos SA with concrete amendment proposals to improve road permeability and landscape connectivity, as well as road safety for wildlife and humans.

Collisions between animals and transport have an impact not only on vehicles and their passengers, but also on biodiversity. In the case of airports, collisions between aircraft and birds, and more generally with animals, lead to loss of human life, costs in the order of a billion dollars a year, and mortality among the animals affected. In 2023, more than 1,000 collisions were detected at French airports.
While 22% of species are unidentified, the others may include species on the red list of breeding birds in metropolitan France (2016), such as the Northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus (NT) and the Common kestrel Falco tinnunculus (NT), the two species most frequently implicated, or the Little bustard Tetrax tetrax (EN).
Furthermore, damage to aircraft is linked to the number and weight of animals impacted. Knowing the species can therefore also help to assess the safety risk associated with collisions. Among the species affected there are some with gregarious behaviour: Common starling Sturnus vulgaris, or species with large weights such as mammals or for exemple Common buzzard Buteo buteo.
To reduce the risk of collisions, we propose several image recognition models, trained to detect and identify birds in metropolitan France on YoloV5 from the AIGLE database.
Different learning transfer strategies are compared, for example from training on the COCO or megadetector database. The taxonomic hierarchy is used for some models.
These models can be connected to existing camera networks in airports. Or to a network of connected sensors communicating with animal hazard management services.

Remote approaches to vegetation monitoring use the advantages of traditional satellite remote sensing; however, when using medium-resolution non-commercial data, it does not reach the desired spatial resolution for detailed monitoring and mapping at the level of individual trees. The detailed level can be achieved thanks to the increasing availability and popularity of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which offer a flexible, time- and cost-effective spatial data source that can be used in practice. Precisely determined vegetation structure and landscape cover are essential for managing areas along linear transport infrastructures. We used a UAV to map detailed vegetation within ten study sites (on main roads, highways, and railroads). We developed a solution to identify trees and determine the necessary spatial parameters for vegetation management near roads. With the help of variables derived in this way based on our own (semi)automatic computing model, trees that require a potential check by a dendrologist or subsequent professional intervention can be highlighted.

Vegetation alongside roads and railways may have a significant positive effect on the quality of life in the adjacent settlements as well as on the ecological and bioclimatological functionality of landscape.
The recently started project’s main goal is to find a suitable spatial and species composition of vegetation belts designed specifically to attenuate traffic noise. And to develop management guidance to maintain long-term sustainability of these belts with respect to the ongoing climate changes. Wildlife disturbance may decrease by noise reduction. Additionally, mature trees could reduce collisions between birds and vehicles.
Forest stands that are expected to be functional for at least 20–30 years will be examined. Measurements will focus on different woody species composition, spatial structure, density, phenological phase and the belt dimensions. In-situ acoustic and terrestrial LiDAR measurements will be performed to assess vegetation's acoustic and structural properties.
Output of the project will be a public methodology focused on the use of vegetation belts for traffic noise attenuation accompanied by the database of different types of vegetation belts with their properties. Both results will be publicly available. Further, the gained knowledge is expected to be used for improvement of technical regulations.
The project CL01000058 is financed from the state budget by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic under the DOPRAVA2030 Programme.

Railway lines, especially those with intense traffic, form a barrier for wildlife that is difficult to overcome. As a result, wildlife-train collisions occur. A safe crossing of the railway tracks is only possible in the time gaps between the trains. This gap varies during the day when there is usually more time for a safe crossing at night. We therefore focused on wildlife occurrence near a railway track in relation to the size of the gaps between trains.

To obtain accurate data on the occurrence of both trains and wildlife, we used camera traps recording all events around the selected railway lines. Then, we calculated the gaps between the trains in general and the gaps between the trains in case of wildlife occurrence. To determine if the distributions differ, we used the two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov test.

Wildlife occurred more often near the railway lines when larger time gaps between trains were recorded. In addition, we found statistically significant differences between the investigated railway lines in terms of gaps for safe crossing.

The results contribute to the understanding of wildlife behaviour near railway lines and can be used, for example, in an effort to eliminate the number of wildlife-train collisions.

Odour repellents (OREs) are a mitigation measure of wildlife-vehicle collisions, which has been extensively applied across Europe. The OREs overall aim is to dismiss probability of such collisions. ORE are applied as an outdoor area repellent, and thus their effectiveness is influenced by many factors (such as weather conditions, and, of course, animal behaviour). At the same time, due to their principle, they contain active chemicals, evaporating from a foam carrier within time. New OREs or fortification dose of active compounds must be applied, after initial dose is not sufficient to the purpose. In the practice, OREs are applied on foams randomly, likely every 3-4 months, without any scientifically based control mechanism of residual concertation of an active substance in a foam. This approach is costly as well as environmentally unfriendly. Despite many scientific papers on the topic of odour repellent usage and their effectiveness, there is still little understanding of an effective control of commercial OREs functionality. This poster presents the first results of testing the evaporation of active compounds from OREs foam carrier within manufacturers recommended time of use under different real-life conditions. Presented analytical approach allows to monitor concentration of repelling compounds, provides stakeholders valuable information to avoid their unnecessary application and thus saving application costs.

Acknowledgement: The work is co-financed by the project BIOCIRKL (reg. no. TN02000044) with the state budget by the Czech Recovery Plan and the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic within the National Centres of Competence Programme in years 2023-2028.

As part of the impact mitigation regulation under the nature conservation legislation of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (D-A-CH countries), measures are implemented to compensate for unavoidable impairments of nature and landscape resulting from development projects such as highways and railways. Compensation measures are an important instrument for countering global biodiversity decline. However, climate and landscape change pose enormous challenges for the long-term preservation of their functionality. The future-proof orientation of compensation measures is therefore in line with the central European objectives for safeguarding biodiversity in the light of climate change (EU Green Deal, EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030). Heat waves, drought and water scarcity and the associated consequences for groundwater levels and the landscape water balance must be taken into account in compensation planning. Effective implementation of compensation measures includes the following aspects:
1. adaptive management, i.e. adjusting the compensation planning when implementing the areas in order to take account of changing environmental conditions. This can include flexible monitoring and management approaches, to ensure the long-term success of compensation measures. For example, the location of compensation areas and the selection of plants must be rethought.
2. water protection measures, i.e. the integration of measures to mitigate the effects of water scarcity on habitats and species. This could include restoring wetlands and improving water retention in the landscape.
The transnational research project "Compensation areas in transition" presents recommendations for action with regard to how the planning, safeguarding, maintenance and monitoring of compensation areas and measures can be improved in the future.

Construction in the transport sector is associated with a wide range of obligatory environmental conditions that are set throughout the permitting process. However, not all conditions are clearly summarised in the building permit. The investor shifts the obligation to comply with the conditions to the contractor, while in most cases there is no uniform and clear document to check compliance with the conditions for which the investor is (co-)responsible.
The use of the Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) concept, which integrates all conditions and measures resulting from the permitting process, is proposed as a suitable solution. This document includes ways to ensure non-deterioration of the environment during construction, describe the design of technical and organizational measures as well as measures to deal with short-term deterioration of environmental components. Within the CEMP, it is necessary to set appropriate measures for individual conditions, which may not be described in sufficient detail in the obligatory documents. The correct definition of roles and their competencies in the entire preparation and construction process is also key.
Although this concept is sometimes applied in Czech practice, the CEMP is usually processed by the contractor without direct control of the investor and professionally qualified supervision. The resulting document is therefore only a clearer form of documentation containing conditions for construction, but the practical application is not ideal from the point of view of environmental protection.
CEMP appears to be a highly effective tool for environmental protection. However, for its proper functioning, its methodical setting is necessary!

Implementing new nature-based solutions and improving urban green help cities to protect and sustainably manage ecosystems that address climate-related challenges, support well-being and bring biodiversity benefits. The key added value of the UpGreen service is in timely calculations and prediction of future effects connected to urban green.
The main objective of the new service is to provide cities with effective tools for understanding, managing and planning the city's vegetation which leads to optimizing the use of resources and more effective urban Green policies. Companies forming the consortium are currently providing services in the area of urban earth observation monitoring (World from Space), urban climate change adaptation (Asitis), and urban green planning (Atregia). The UpGreen service is a result of long-term discussion among all three companies regarding a joint service.
The main users of the service are cities. Despite differences in organizational structure, management and decision competencies, duties and size, cities and their potential users have the same needs in terms of planning and maintenance of Urban Green infrastructure.

Sustainable roadside management is an actual issue for many territories worldwide. Decision-makers face multiple challenges in finding the optimal configuration and route. This involves finding the right combination in terms of planning roadside maintenance activities and allocating resources (machines and personnel) to minimize maintenance time, operating costs, and the associated environmental impact.
This work addresses the problem of planning optimal configurations for roadside management under an operational and sustainable approach, considering the specific features of the territory and maintenance-related decisions (selection of the number and type of machinery best suited to the nature of the route, trajectories to be followed, planning of waste disposal routes for biomass treatment according to the technological systems of the territory) while meeting several sustainable objectives.
For this purpose, a mathematical multi-objective model is proposed based on the arc routing problem, where the demand is located along the routes. To solve this Np-hard problem, a three-step methodology is carried out. Firstly, data mining of the territory roads is collected and differentiated using a Geographical Information System (GIS) based assessment. Then, machine learning is applied by K-means Clustering to identify sectors within the territory with similar requirements in order to group and deploy suitable technical centers to each one. Finally, multi-objective optimization is performed to find the optimal routing for the technical centers.
To validate this model, a case study of a certain region in France is presented.

Paraguay expects communication and integration between local and regional economies through projects like the duplication of this National Route, connecting the country to development opportunities with Argentina. This road system is established on a pre-existing route and fragmented ecosystem in the lower Chaco, where the impact on wildlife was not initially considered. The impacts on fauna are directly related to habitat fragmentation and road users' vehicle collisions, as well as their road safety. The applied environmental mitigation involves adapting drainage works to function as mixed-use wildlife and water crossings. This partially restores connectivity and reduces wildlife mortality and water drainage. The overall objective is to improve the conditions of this critical habitat for wildlife, users, and vegetation due to the progressive increase in land use in floodplains/wetlands of the lower Chaco. The methodology involves studying adaptation alternatives and selecting five drainage works, culverts, and bridges for wildlife and water crossings. Currently, on-site monitoring is randomly conducted to detect the presence or absence of target species (direct observations and records of road-killed species) during the road duplication process. The adapted drainage works represent a low-cost public investment for Paraguay and currently serve as the first short-term environmental mitigation measure, with data from this case study showing benefits for small mammal species such as the Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous) and Crab-eating Raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus).