Linear Infrastructure Networks with Ecological Solutions – the legacy of the LIFE-LINES project

Abstract

Recently, the Convention on Biological Diversity Conference of the Parties (COP 15) adopted the “post-2020 global biodiversity framework” where inverting biodiversity decline and restoring ecological connectivity are major flagships. The need for reversing the negative impacts of Linear Infrastructure Networks in the environment is increasingly acknowledged as a key to achieving those biodiversity commitments. LIFE-LINES project (LIFE14 NAT/PT/001081) employed and essayed a large and diverse number of interventions with the aim of reconciling biodiversity conservation and the presence of roads and powerlines. This was achieved through actions that enhanced ecological connectivity through the reduction of wildlife roadkill, promotion of autochthonous vegetation, and creation of refuges and corridors in habitats related to linear infrastructures. The project proved that fostering a European Green Infrastructure across Grey Infrastructure without jeopardizing their ecological and social roles is reachable. Beyond socio-ecological results, the flagship outcomes devised from the LIFE-LINES project spawn throughout a myriad of tools created to support stakeholders and decision-makers in making better choices concerning the sustainability of linear infrastructures at all levels, from the planning to the maintenance phases, namely: 1) solutions to mitigate mortality and barrier effects, 2) guidance to improve road verge management, and 3) creation of a National Roadkill Database to monitor and report large scale mortality trends. Although a large part of the project was dedicated to the dissemination of the results, engaging stakeholders, policymakers, including recommendations for changing national and regional laws and plans, and overall society, continued efforts and funds are necessary to follow the aftermath of the project and ensure its legacy lives-on.