Project
name
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Wildlife
habitat defragmentation - Bottleneck
solving between the Motorway network and the Main Ecological Network of the
Netherlands
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| |
 |
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Fig. 1: Bottlenecks between the EMS and the Dutch motorway
network. Defragmentation bottlenecks between the Main Ecological Network
and the existing motorway network in The Netherlands according to the
Defragmentation Program 2005-2018. The map shows the solved bottlenecks, the to be solved
bottlenecks and complex bottlenecks to be solved. |
Keywords
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The
connection of all major nature areas (including buffer zones and nature
development areas by corridors) is one step to create sustainable
natural areas and solve
conflicts between motorways and nature by mitigating measures, like fauna
passages ( ecoducts (=wildlife viaducts) and fauna pipes). Reducing the
barrier effect of roads and traffic is another important step.
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Start
of project
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1990
(2nd Structure Plan for Transport) and 2005 (Defragmentation
Program 2005 – 2018)
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End
of project
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In 2018 the National Ecological Network
(see case study 10a) shall be realized as well as the solving of bottlenecks
between motorways and nature.
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Contact
person
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Website
LNV (Dutch ministry of agriculture, nature and food quality): www.minLNF.nl
Website www.iene.info and the website
www.minvenw.nl/rws/dww
Info Ministry of Transport: ir. G.J. Bekker (
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)
Info Ministry of LNF: Drs. R. Post (
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)
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Short
project description / project function
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To
be able to maintain and increase biodiversity, individual natural areas need to be connected. The
National Ecological Network will consists of in total 725'000 ha. With
specially constructed fauna passages - from fauna pipes till wide ecoducts (see case
study 2 ) - the barrier effect of motorways and traffic will be reduced. In
this way the separation of nature areas by infrastructure (habitat
fragmentation) can be corrected. The first step is these processes is to make
a bottleneck analysis between roads and the environment. (This approach can
be done on a national, regional as well as local level.)
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Summary
of experiences
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The
project is still in progress by land acquisition and by taking mitigation
measures. During the last 16 years a lot of mitigation measures have been
carried out in The Netherlands
to reduce the number of bottlenecks between the National Ecological Network
and the motorway system. Monitoring activities show that the fauna passages
are used by animals. It is still
too early to claim positive effects on biodiversity.
Information
about the Dutch, but also other European countries can be found: http://cost341.instnat.be.
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Project
benefits
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More
connections between fragmented natural areas, which will decrease the chances
of extinction of species.
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Project
level
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Enough
knowledge available to construct and maintain fauna passages.
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Financial
scale
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For
the next 12 years the Dutch government has 410 million Euro available for
mitigation measures on the existing motorway network
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Environmental
conditions
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Sea
climate
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Altitude
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-5m
up to 360 (entire Netherlands)
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Description
of special local conditions
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Project
throughout the entire country
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Why
is this ecological engineering.
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To
obtain an ecologically sustainable transport infrastructure mitigation of the
adverse effects on wildlife needs an ecological engineering approach where
technical and ecological knowledge is combined for the benefits of human and
nature. Mitigation measures can reduce the negative effects of roads and
traffic considerably.
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