Abstract
Species: Bear
Countries: Greece, Italy, Romania, Spain
Implementation:
2010 – 2015 (LIFEARCTOS/KASTORIA), 2016 – 2021 (LIFE AMYBEAR),
2013 – 2017 (LIFESTRADE),
2018 – 2023 (LIFE SAFE-CROSSING)
Contact info: Callisto (info
callisto [dot] gr (info[at]callisto[dot]gr))
More info:
The issue
Roads, such as the Egnatia Highway in north-western Greece, constitute serious barriers for the movement of wildlife. Bears in particular, rely on being able to move long distances in search for food or mates. Their attempts to cross roads often result in collisions with vehicles. This is a serious threat to bear conservation but also, given their size, causes damage to vehicles and endangers human lives. Over a 15-year period from 2005 to 2020, 100 bear-vehicle collisions were recorded in north-western Greece alone. In addition, the construction of the 72km highway branch A29 in the early 2000s, connecting the Egnatia Highway network to the Greek-Albanian border, has significantly impacted habitat connectivity and increased collisions. Within six months of opening the new highway branch, five bears were killed due to traffic. Between 2009 and 2013, a total of 19 bears were killed on that road over a total of 21 bear -vehicle collisions, fortunately with no human fatalities.
A solution
But solutions exist! By developing and implementing appropriate measures, bear-vehicle collisions can be minimized, reducing mortality for both humans and bears. If the right measures are chosen, roads can be made safer without overly restricting bear movement or contributing to habitat fragmentation. By refining and adapting these measures for different regions and large carnivore species, we can effectively tackle the critical conservation challenge of wildlife-vehicle collisions.
In 2007, the Greek NGO Callisto started a collaboration with local authorities and the development agencies, to address this issue and improve human-bear coexistence. The main approach to reduce bear-vehicle collisions was to prevent bears from accessing roads and especially high-speed motorways using bear-proof fencing and other measures. In order to do this, it was important to have a thorough understanding of the background situation through bear and road monitoring. Funding through a series of LIFE projects, has allowed the approach taken to be widened out to trial new techniques and cover other large carnivore species and countries.
Actions
Background understanding
Radio-tagging of brown bears to study their movement and to identify priority crossing areas along roads. 19 individuals were tagged in Kastoria and 4 in Florina in Greece.
Monitoring of roads for identification of high-risk areas and crossing points in Italy, Spain, Greece and Romania by monitoring wildlife mortality, wildlife crossing points, traffic volume and vehicle speed
Monitoring of existing crossing structures such as underpasses, culverts and viaducts with camera traps
Installation of animal-vehicle collision prevention systems (AVC/PSs) in previously identified high-risk areas and crossing points
Bear-proof fencing was installed along 130 km of A29 stretch and Egnatia motorway main axe in Greece (total cost 10M €) .
Virtual fences – composed of Acoustic and visual deterrent sensors along roads to prevent wildlife from crossing. Deterrents are activated by headlights of vehicles and emit sound or light signals to scare of animals nearby. 5600 visual deterrents (reflectors) were installed along A29 and additional roads in the area; 13,24 km of virtual fence consisting of visual and acoustic deterrents were installed in Florina and Amyntaio and 36,5km virtual fence in Italy (25km), Romania (7km) and Spain (4,5km).
An advanced Animal-Vehicle Collision Prevention System (AVC PS) was developed and installed. This activates when it detects an animal close to the road and warns the drivers with flashing light. If the driver does not slow down, acoustic deterrents like wolf howls or hunting sounds are emitted, to scare the animals away. 17 AVC PS were installed and tested in five provinces of central Italy (Grosseto, Perugia, Pesaro e Urbino, Siena e Terni). This was adopted by the following project and 26 systems were installed across Italy (10), Romania (5), Spain (5) and Greece (5)
Adaptation of crossing structures to enhance connectivity. Adaptation carried out in core areas in Italy, Romania, Greece and Spain included for example cutting vegetation to guide animals towards the structures.
In Greece, the national Bear Emergency Team (BET), was tasked to deal with cases of interactions between bears and humans and reacting to road accidents were included in their duties. In Florina and Amyntaio, 11,5% of cases dealt with involved road accidents (out of 53 incidents).
Creation of a geographic database to track wildlife road mortality and the development of a hybrid app for real-time user feedback in Greece, Italy, Spain and Romania. The geodatabase included various data points such as animal road fatalities, crossing structures, and virtual fences, while the app allows users to report animal deaths and sightings near roads, aiming to raise public awareness. The app is available in Play Store and App Store.
Installation of warning signs, which inform and influence drivers.
22 signs on A29 and additional roads in the area in Greece
28 signs along 41,85 km in Florina and Amyntaio (Greece)
167 information panels were put in place for drivers in Italy, Romania, Spain and Greece
Broader awareness raising included a volunteering and environmental education programme in Kastoria (Greece) focused on bear-human coexistence which also carried out activities to raise awareness with drivers; radio spots addressing bear-vehicle collisions in Western Macedonia and a travelling exhibition about the effects of road traffic on biodiversity in Italy.
What changed
The above activities significantly reduced bear mortality on the Egnatia Highway as well as on other roads in that area. In Kastoria area (A29), cases went down from 8-9 dead animals/year to only 1-2. In Florina and Amyntaio, virtual fences proved highly efficient, preventing 86% of wildlife from crossing the road network. Moreover, since the installation, no bear-vehicle collisions were recorded over four years. Additionally, a questionnaire survey suggested that 90% of the drivers reduced their speed at the sight of the newly installed warning signs.
The AVS PS developed in Italy proved successful in the test phase, each system preventing on average 10 wildlife collisions per month. The system was subsequently introduced in more areas in Italy, Romania, Spain and Greece, reducing fatalities up to 100%.
Adaptions to existing crossing structures successfully increase habitat connectivity for brown bear, Iberian lynx and wolf and increase their utilization up to 50%. In Greece an increase of 100% of the utilization of underpasses by target species were recorded.
The information and education activities linked to the projects carried out in Greece, helped to improve the perception of bears among the general public. Almost a third of the respondents of the project completion survey stated their willingness to actively contribute to the protection of their local bears.
Financing
Financing of the activities was provided by the LIFE programme. In addition, national resources and donations enabled the implementation of certain activities in Greece.
Other examples:
https://lifelynxconnect.eu/en/
https://lifelines.uevora.pt/?lang=en
https://fundacionosopardo.org/life-bear-defragmentation-project-2/
Details
- Publication date
- 31 October 2024
- Author
- Directorate-General for Environment
