Linear infrastructure – including roads, railways, canals, powerlines, pipelines, and fences – represents one of the biggest threats to migratory species and ecological connectivity. Nevertheless, there is a wide array of actions governments and communities can take to avoid or minimize negative impacts of infrastructure to help restore healthy populations and their habitats.

 

A recent research paper reported that roadkill estimates reach up to 340 million birds in the United States, 194 million birds and 29 million mammals in Europe, and 12 million birds and 5 million mammals in Latin America killed on roads each year. Additionally, a lack of monitoring efforts and data on train-wildlife collision events as well as fence entrapment means the impacts of large-scale linear infrastructure are likely highly underestimated. Many initiatives, however, are underway to confront this challenge, and resources are becoming more widely available to mainstream best practices for nature positive infrastructure approaches that avoid and mitigate impacts on migratory species and ecological connectivity.

 

The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Scientific Council Working Group on Infrastructure (Working Group) has reviewed several aspects of the CMS 14th Conference of the Parties (COP14) decisions and resolutions related to infrastructure. These will be discussed at CMS COP15. This side event will highlight a suite of new and expanded efforts to build capacity and mobilize resources for wildlife-friendly linear infrastructure that model actions Parties can take to meet the infrastructure-related guidance and recommendations articulated at COP14 and to be further clarified at COP15.

 

Presentations and participant contributions to be shared and discussed include innovative approaches in science, policy, financing, and project implementation for nature positive infrastructure outcomes that support related mandates from the CMS and Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). They will address topics covered in the recent Working Group deliberations, such as improving critical habitat standards in safeguard protocols, conducting baseline surveys, establishing monitoring systems of the effectiveness of mitigation measures and cumulative effects, including us of movement-based indicators, and integrating CMS guidelines on migratory species and ecological flows into screening criteria and financial institution safeguard systems and financing criteria.

 

Presenters and panelists will highlight insights to be gained from model projects and activities, including the following: