Interreg 100692797
The main objective of the project is to protect biodiversity in the migration corridors of the Saxon-Czech border area. The demands on transport links and landscape fragmentation will only increase in the future. More than 10 % of the populations of flying vertebrates (birds and bats) perish on the roads. Where the migration corridors of flying vertebrates are crossed by transport infrastructure, protective walls are the only solution to limit direct mortality. Defining the areas where protective walls should be installed, as well as testing their type, is key to maintaining the permeability of the border areas of both countries. Flying vertebrates are guided by linear elements, riparian vegetation and windbreaks as they move through the landscape. Although the migration corridors for large mammals are well known, the risk sites for flying vertebrates are unknown. In Germany, sites where different types of protective walls have been installed are much more common than in the Czech Republic, but in both countries evidence of their effectiveness in reducing direct mortality is lacking. The project will provide both countries with information on the applicability of the walls and a technical prescription for a new wall reducing mortality will be developed. Through biological surveys, database analysis and testing of appropriate protection measures, we will minimise the negative impacts of new roads and the upgrading of existing ones.
Project period 01/2024 – 12/2026