PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Extensive knowledge of the existing fauna and flora in the Portuguese region of Alentejo is already available. However, one of the main transport and energy corridors linking Portugal to Spain lies in this region. This puts significant pressure on the area’s wildlife, as mortality data for both roads and power lines infrastructure show. Within this socioeconomic context, stakeholders and public and private bodies have actively participated with universities to solve the environmental problems caused by transport and energy networks. The situation for wildlife could be improved through a coordinated strategy, based on research done at the University of Évora in functional and structural connectivity mapping. This, in fact, takes into account the movements and habitat use/preferences of target fauna species.
OBJECTIVES
The main objectives of the LIFE LINES project were to evaluate and disseminate practices to mitigate negative effects that transport and energy infrastructure have on wild fauna, and to simultaneously promote the creation of a demonstrative ‘Green Infrastructure’ based on ecological corridors and stepping stones.
RESULTS
LIFE LINES tested and disseminated a wide array of solutions aimed at:
- mitigating road mortality and barrier effects (several solutions for impeding movement and access to roads were tested, including adapting culverts for promoting passage of fauna, barriers impeding birds and bats flying low, or different fencing solutions).
- mitigating collision and electrocution in powerlines (a new prototype of crossbar for medium voltage poles was developed).
- promoting biodiversity in linear infrastructures (e.g., different techniques for controlling invasive alien plant species and roadside vegetation management types were tested, or creation of stepping stones below high voltage poles).
- monitoring and reporting data (one of the landmark achievements of the project is the creation of a national database for wild fauna road-kill records).
Overall, the project contributed to a decrease in mortality due to both power lines and roads. Birds and bats had significant decreases in road mortality, while amphibians and owls showed non-significant decreasing trends. Connectivity has increased for most species, especially in 15 areas of intervention near roads. Overall biodiversity indicators show reductions of 36% for invasive plant species in the area and an increase in abundance for 14 of the top 20 most road-killed bird species, as well as for the two most road-killed mammals.
Out of 33 solutions tested, a total of 19 were either favourable or highly favourable in meeting the purposes of implementation, nine other solutions were considered reasonable, with need for adaptation to improve effectiveness, and four turned out as unfavourable.
In terms of dissemination, the project reached over 360,000 people; training was provided to circa 700 internal and external technicians; and 4,000 volunteers participated in activities related to biodiversity.
In addition to being fully in line with EU and national strategies for Biodiversity 2030, the project contributed to shedding lights on the issue of wild fauna road-kills and to discussing the compatibility of wildfire prevention and biodiversity promotion in roadsides at a regional scale.
The main objectives of the After-LIFE plan focus on capitalising on these solutions and developed tools, either by encouraging uptake or by disseminating them through different channels and means among targeted stakeholders. The plan will concentrate on five areas of action:
- long-term monitoring;
- dissemination of adequate solutions;
- take advantage of the tools developed by the project through enhanced collaborations;
- escalate the project to political and decision-making grounds;
- explore new topics and approaches in linear infrastructure research.
