Transportation infrastructure threatens landscapes
Ecological connections are at risk of collapse and cultural value of being lost when new roads are built. These are the new findings from the research programme
INCLUDE
at the SwedishBiodiversityCenter at the Swedish UniversityofAgricultural Sciences.
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Road systems today are so dense in many places that nature and recreational value are threatened. Transportation systems chop up the landscape so that wild animals can no longer move as they need to, for example to find food, and people´s access to nature is deteriorating. New infrastructure increases the pressure further. The landscape´s function as a living space for humans, animals and plants is not sufficiently taken into account when new transportation infrastructure is planned. Green infrastructure
These questions were discussed at the October conference Roads to diversity in Uppsala. “The biological interplay in nature is something that we can´t survive without," says J-O Helldin. Helldin is a researcher at the SwedishBiodiversityCenter and the Programme Director for the research programme INCLUDE, which presented results at the conference.
This is about fundamental biological knowledge. All species require a minimum area of maneuverability in order to maintain healthy populations. The spaces can´t be too isolated, but must be connected in a “green infrastructure" where organisms can move freely. Road networks create barriers that break up the green infrastructure.
The tyranny of small steps
J-O Helldin points out the landscape´s importance for people as well. That´s where we spend our free time and where we go when we seek experiences or peace. Much of Sweden´s international power of attraction and cultural identity rests on the landscape, in living woods and in historical agricultural landscapes. “In the planning stage we only see single roadways, but ignore the whole," says J-O Helldin.
This is one of the tyrannies of small steps against the landscape. In the worst cases, we don´t attempt to resolve problems until they´ve gone too far. This has happened in countries such as Holland ,Belgium and Germany. There, re-establishing the connections between green areas has become an expensive proposition, requiring amongst other things the removal of roads to build “green bridges." The situation is just as bad around the largest Swedish cities. But in most cases we still have a chance of not going too far.
Good for both animals and people
With future investments in infrastructure it is important to utilize the knowledge we have about how effective transportation networks and functional landscapes can be combined. The research programme INCLUDE has found answers to some such questions. For example, it has become clear that there is no conflict between developing the landscape for both animals and people. What is good for one is good for the other as well.
