Example for connectivity (green corridor) in Slovakia, Photo credit: Tomas Hulík

 

Why green connectivity must shape the roads of the future

Europe’s landscapes are being carved up at a pace that nature cannot keep up with. Forests, rivers and mountain corridors that once allowed wildlife to roam freely are increasingly cut off by transport networks. When those natural links disappear, ecosystems falter and the services communities rely on begin to break down, from clean air and water to resilient food systems.

In Central and Eastern Europe, where some of the continent’s last intact wild areas still hold on, the fight to keep nature connected is becoming urgent. Roads and transport networks as a whole remain one of the biggest threats. They slice habitats into isolated fragments, blocking animal movement and accelerating biodiversity loss. 

The global picture shows how fast the crisis is unfolding. Worldwide, road infrastructure is projected to grow by 60 percent by 2050. Wildlife populations have already fallen by 73 percent since the 1970s, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report 2024, and more than 600,000 habitat patches across the planet have become cut off from one another.

The answer is not to halt development, but to redesign it

New infrastructure must support the movement of wildlife as much as the movement of people. Harmonized transport and ecological corridors in a balanced and sustainable way should link towns and trade, yet also stitch nature back together.

This message resonated strongly at the IRF Europe and Central Asia Regional Congress in Sofia, Bulgaria between 14 and 16 October. Executive Panel 6 brought together officials, engineers and conservation experts to ask a simple question: what would transport look like if biodiversity was placed at the heart of planning, not treated as an afterthought?

A region at a crossroads

The Danube-Carpathian region remains a rare refuge for Europe’s large mammals, including wolves, bears, lynx and European bison, with around one third of all large mammal species found here. Their survival depends on being able to move across borders, valleys and mountain ranges. Yet the region faces increasing pressure to expand roads in the name of economic growth.

Romania’s Lugoj to Deva motorway shows how sidelining nature early on can derail a project. The route cut through a key wildlife corridor in the between the Apuseni Mountains and the Southern Carpathians, forcing expensive redesigns and years of delay. It has since become a case study in why ecologists need a seat at the table from day one.

Beyond harm reduction

Speakers including Elke Hahn from Austria’s Ministry for Transport, Méabh Browne of Bechtel, Marius Nistorescu of EPC, Lazaros Georgiadis of IENE and Hildegard Meyer, representing WWF Central and Eastern Europe, stressed that the sector needs to move beyond simply reducing harm and start actively restoring connectivity. In short, move from doing less harm to doing better.
 

On the picture Hildegard Meyer from WWF Central and Eastern Europe, Photo credit: IRF Europe and Central Asia Regional Congres

They pointed to the Mitigation Hierarchy as the blueprint for change: avoid nature damage first, minimise impacts where avoidance is not possible, add mitigation measures when needed, restore ecosystems after works, and only compensate elsewhere as a last resort.

In practice, this can mean rerouting roads and other linear transport infrastructure away from vulnerable habitats through a more strategic and proactive approach, while at the same time avoiding any possible cumulative impacts on landscape connectivity.

At a more local scale, adapting transport infrastructure to the surrounding landscape is necessary, for example by building viaducts and tunnels, and constructing wildlife bridges and underpasses. Restoration of sites once construction ends, along with appropriate monitoring and maintenance practices during operation, is also essential.

Farmers must also be considered to ensure they can still access their fields, while minimising noise and disruption for nearby communities is crucial. 

Fig 1. Mitigation hierarchy ©Global Snow Leopard Program (GSLEP)

Environmental Impact Assessment remains a vital safeguard. In Romania, the Târgu Mureş to Târgu Neamţ motorway is being built with green bridges and other crossings thanks to early ecological data and stakeholder input. This sped up permitting and avoided the kind of setbacks seen elsewhere.

A new way forward

Nature positive planning only works if carried through to construction. Méabh Browne stressed that training craft professionals, mapping habitats and using real time monitoring should become standard practice. On the ground, that can mean pausing work during bird nesting season or adapting methods to avoid sensitive areas. In Greece, the Egnatia Motorway shows what happens when mistakes are corrected. Once criticised for its impact on bear habitats, it was upgraded with tunnels, bridges and fencing. The result was zero bear collisions and a model now shared beyond Greece.

The panel delivered a clear call. Bringing conservationists, engineers, authorities and communities together from day one is no longer optional, it is essential. Wildlife crossings and mitigation structures need monitoring and maintenance long beyond ribbon cutting ceremonies.

Biodiversity is not a luxury for good weather days. It underpins food security, health, local economies, culture and our ability to cope with climate shocks. People thrive on good connections, and so does wildlife. Keeping landscapes connected is one of the smartest investments we can make for the future.