The following contains general information about some important issues concerning habitat fragmentation due to linear infrastructure and measures taken to counteract this phenomenon. COST 341 At the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET) 2003, I presented an overview of COST 341. This European action, ordered by the European Union (EU), was initiated by the Infra Eco Network of Europe (IENE). The action concluded in November 2003 with a well-attended international conference in Brussels. At this conference, we appreciated it very much that several ICOET representatives attended. As the official chairman of the conference, I gave a piece of the jigsaw to Mary Gray to remind the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to continue with the subject and to use the information. At the conference, the products of the COST 341 action were presented. These products include the European Review, the handbook, the national state-of-the-art-reports, and the database. The Handbook of Cost 341 was translated to national versions for several countries. In each version of the handbook, specific, nationally oriented comments and questions were added. This was done in the Czech Republic, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland. In several of the 18 connected countries inside the action, the national working groups still exist as groups of well-informed people concerned about habitat fragmentation due to linear infrastructure. Also very important is that the network of people at the international level is still vital. When there is a need for information, a second opinion, or advice, a COST 341 colleague is willing to give assistance. This is only possible because there is a network of capable and involved people. The information gathered in COST 341 was the basis of several contributions at conferences concerning environmental issues in general or habitat fragmentation specifically. At the World Road Association (PIARC) 2003 World Congress in Durban, the results of COST 341 were presented as well. Habitat fragmentation now is included in the work of PIARC in Technical Committee (TC) 2.1, Sustainable development and road transport. I am responsible for the action mitigation of the environmental impact of road transport, one of several actions under this TC. This technical committee sent out a questionnaire to contacts all over the world, and we will hope to have enough feedback to produce some practical recommendations on how to handle fragmentation in our report to the next World Congress in Paris 2007. At conferences in France, Italy, the Netherlands, and Poland this information was given to other people for use in other situations. Some general developments with big impact in Europe Previously, there were several EU directives concerning environmental issues around transport. Four of note include: the Habitat and Bird Directive, Soil Directive, Noise Directive, and Air Quality Directive. These directives must be implemented in the national legislation of each country that signed such a directive. These EU directives have a big influence on policy and legal aspects concerning nature protection and environmental issues along roads and rail lines. For example, the Air Quality Directive, which is already implemented in Dutch legislation, was enforced in this year and caused reconstruction plans to be stopped. A Dutch high court decided that the expected pollution levels would be too high. That means that the reconstruction was postponed until the expected impact has been measurably decreased. This court decision gave an enormous push to the research and measures involving air pollution due to traffic. Since 2004, there have been 10 new member nations added to the EU. The bilateral contacts intensified rapidly. There is an enormous increase of travel and cargo trade to and from these countries. And with this increasing amount of movement, there is a big need for new motorways and improvement of roads. This urgent need demands knowledge and for a new set of cooperation tools. These new countries must fulfill the regulations for road-building activities ordered by the EU directives. That is an important reason for several bilateral contacts, projects, and programs to exchange knowledge and information. So at this moment (September 2005), there is a conference in Poland where the 10 new EU countries are discussing the possibilities and tools for environmental impact assessments and strategic environmental assessments. Chapter 1 20 ICOET 2005 Proceedings Some developments in the Netherlands In the new handbook (Leidraad aunavoorzieningen; see http://www.rwsnatuurenlandschap.nl), there is a lot of information about approaches, procedures, and ideas for defragmentation measures. The Long-Term Defragmentation Program has been launched and has been accepted by Parliament. In this program three ministries (Agriculture, Nature Protection and Food; Transport, Public Works and Water Management; Spatial Planning and Housing) give their intentions, including work schemes and money to counteract fragmentation due to national infrastructure (motorways, canals, and rail). This program is to solve the problems in the ecological main structure, including the robust zones inside that main structure. The approach in this long-term program is areaoriented, integrated, and based on cooperation between involved parties in the region. Biographical Sketch: Hans Bekker graduated from the Agricultural University of Wageningen as an engineer. He works at the Road and Hydraulic Engineering Institute (DWW), an inside advisory unit of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management in the Netherlands. Bekker is a program leader working mainly with wildlife, roads, and traffic. He functions as a bridge between civil engineers and ecologists. He was chair of the European project COST 341: Habitat Fragmentation due to Transport Infrastructure. He is program leader for the Dutch Long-Term Defragmentation Program. He is a member of the steering committee of the International Conference on Ecology and Transportation (ICOET), where he represents the Infra Eco Network Europe (IENE).

The major impact of habitat fragmentation results from the barrier effect caused by the construction and use of linear infrastructure of transportation systems. Habitat fragmentation can be described as the splitting of natural habitats and ecosystems into smaller and more isolated patches. Habitat fragmentation is recognized as one of the most important global threats to the conservation of biological diversity. Fauna passages are constructed to minimize the negative effects of habitat fragmentation. However, there are only some vague ideas about measures for tree-living mammals (excluding bats). Some anecdotal stories, collected by this author from the international network and from discussion with interested people, helped to develop some thoughts for the design and construction of tree-bridges. There is some information about measures for squirrels, dormice, monkeys, possums, and pine marten. These species, for which such measures could be fruitful, are sometimes very common and well known by the public: e.g., squirrels; and sometimes rare and only known by specialists and biologists: e.g., several obscure possums. This presentation offered some current examples and results of tree-bridges and sought input from the broader audience on ideas for additional measures. Biographical Sketch: Hans Bekker is engineer of the Agricultural University of Wageningen and is working at the Road and Hydraulic Engineering Institute (DWW), an inside advisory unit of the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management. He works as program leader mainly with wildlife, roads, and traffic and functions as a liaison between civil engineers and ecologists. He was chair of the European project COST 341: Habitat Fragmentation due to Transport Infrastructure. He is program leader for the Dutch Long Term De-fragmentation Program. He is member of the Steering Committee of the International Conferences on Ecology & Transport (ICOET), as representative of the Infra Eco Network Europe (IENE).

Habitat fragmentation, the splitting of natural habitats and ecosystems into smaller and more isolated patches, is recognised as one of the most important global threats to the conservation of biological diversity. Habitat fragmentation is mainly a result of changes in land use, but a major impact also results from the barrier effect caused by the construction and use of linear infrastructure of transportation systems. This problem has been recognised all over Europe, but the impact differs from country to country. The project COST1 341 Habitat fragmentation Due to Transportation Infrastructure started in 1998, and 16 European countries and one NGO (European Centre for Nature Conservation) have been officially involved in the initiative. The main objectives of the action are: • To promote a safe and sustainable pan-European transport infrastructure through recommending measures and planning procedures in order to conserve biodiversity and reduce vehicular accidents and fauna casualties • To increase the awareness of the problem • To offer practical solutions and to exchange knowledge and expertise through workshops and presentations • To bring together the different groups involved The first main product of the project is a European Review on habitat fragmentation on a European level, based on state-of-the-art-reports from the participating countries. The project found a strong awareness of the problem throughout Europe and that a diversity of approaches to counteract and solutions have been tested. However, there is still a need for a systematic approach, retrofitting existing infrastructure where necessary, and integrating concerns on fragmentation in the planning of new ones. And frequently asked questions are: ‘How do we do it?’ ‘How many passages are necessary?’ ‘When is the problem solved?’ and ‘Can it be cheaper?’ The conclusions and recommendations of the review will be presented. The second important outcome of the project is the handbook Wildlife and traffic - A European handbook for identifying conflicts and designing solutions. This is a solution-oriented handbook, based upon the accumulated knowledge of a broad range of experts from the participating countries and from numerous international contacts. It gives practical guidance to the various actors involved in the planning, construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructures. The barrier and fragmentation effects of infrastructure can be minimised during several phases of development and use, and often avoided if considered in the early phases of planning. It shows as well different solutions for the same problem in different countries. The handbook takes the reader through all the different phases, from the first steps of strategic planning, through the integration of roads in the landscape, the use of mitigation measures such as over- and underpasses for different animals, the developing field of compensatory measures, and to the use of different methods for monitoring and evaluating the chosen solutions. This paper presents the major findings of the European Review and an overview of the solutions recommended in the handbook. The handbook will be published late 2003. The authors have been involved in coordinating the project and in writing the contents of the handbook. IENE (Infra Eco Network Europe), a network of experts and authorities within the field of habitat fragmentation caused by construction and use of linear transportation infrastructure, was the applicant of COST 341. IENE is the framework in which the dissemination takes place. The results of COST Action 341 will be presented in Brussels, Belgium, 13 – 15 November 2003. See: www.iene.info Cost 341: http://www.cordis.lu/cost-transport/src/cost-341.htm

In the 1900‘s, the badger population of the Netherlands was estimated to count 2500 to 3000 setts with over 4000 individuals. Between then and the 1960‘s, the number declined drastically and stayed low until the mid-1980‘s with about 400 setts in the whole of the Netherlands. In the 1980‘s a high percentage of the population, locally up to 25%, was killed yearly by road traffic. For this reason the Dutch government implemented mitigation measures such as fauna tunnels and fences. It was easy to monitor the use of such measures. By census we know that the population increased to around 5000 individuals in 2006. But were these “badger tunnels” effective: did the number of traffic victims at these tunnels decrease?

To answer this question we analyzed data on badger traffic victims gathered by NGO Das & Boom and the Center for Transport and Navigation (Rijkswaterstaat) between 1990 and 2006. First, we determined the distribution of victims over motorways, provincial roads and local roads. In absolute terms, most victims were reported from local roads. However, relative to the length of road in the range of the badger, most victims occur at provincial roads.

Second, we tested whether taking mitigating measures resulted in a decrease of traffic victims. Realization of fauna tunnels resulted in a small but significant decrease in the local number of victims, but effects varied from site to site: at most sites, the number of victims was lower, but at some the number of victims was higher after implementation of the measure. Analysis on a local scale should provide a clearer picture of the effect of mitigation measures on badger mortality. Such a study was done in the area ‘Eindegooi’ where the increase of the population of badgers is spectacular. It appears that the increase is related to a package of measures taken in that area.

The challenge for conservation now lies in minimizing victim numbers at local roads. As badger victims occur over a huge length of local roads, mitigation will be difficult. Still, a number of measures are feasible, for example locally designed tunnels and fences, decreasing speed limits or closing roads for through traffic, especially at ‘black spots’ with high numbers of victims.