Where will Wolves, Bobcats and Moose go?

Before Poland becomes cut up by highways and super-fast roads, we need to design and create tunnels for wild animals. The underground tunnels designed by the Mammal Research Institute in Białowieża would be part of the European Nature 2000 network. It would primarily protect routes frequented by animals, sylvan areas and river valleys. According to Professor Włodzimierz Jędrzejewski, the construction of highways constitutes a major threat to wild animals such as the bobcat, moose or bear. Migration is essential for them to survive and preserve the genetic disparity which is a necessary condition for keeping the species genetically strong. It is claimed that a single bobcat needs territory of up to 350 square kilometers, while a pack of wolves needs from 90 to 350 square kilometers. Such tunnels have already been successfully employed in other European countries such as Germany and Austria. Recently an over-land tunnel was constructed in Rzepińska Forest. The key criteria for these ‘corridors’ to be usable for animals are that they have to be undistinguishable from the natural environment, 50 to 60 meters wide and covered with local plants. At the moment the Urban Development Agency in Lublin is cooperating with the Mammal Research Institute to create a map of the ecological corridors in Lublin Province. The project also imposes certain demands on road developers: they will have to enable animals to migrate freely.
Gazeta Wyborcza