Thứ tư, Tháng mười hai 11, 2024
Google search engine
HomeSorted by levelC1 - AdvancedWildlife overpasses that protect animals from cars are spreading globally

Wildlife overpasses that protect animals from cars are spreading globally

[Reading level: C1 – Advanced]

As long as there are highways and wildlife, there will be roadkill. Many a motorist has glimpsed a mangled but still-living animal squirming on the concrete, waiting for a merciful death. And many drivers have themselves perished upon colliding with a deer or some other large animal. Meanwhile, wide, dangerous roadways can cut wildlife off from the resources it needs to thrive, including genetic diversity.

 

All around the world, local infrastructure planners are increasingly adopting a technique to solve these problems: wildlife overpasses. Engineers design the structures to blend in with nature, increasing the likelihood that animals will use them – and teach their offspring to do the same.

 

As National Geographic reports, wildlife overpasses caught on in Europe starting in the 1950s, and have been spreading around the world since. There are now overpasses used by moose in Canada, bobcats in Montana, and crabs on Christmas Island, with many more planned. With every project, researchers learn more about how animals interact with the passageways.

 

As it turns out, different species prefer different types of crossings. Tony Clevenger, a wildlife biologist at Montana State University’s Western Transportation Institute, told National Geographic that elk and grizzly bears like big, open structures while cougars, accustomed to forests, prefer more constricted passings with more cover.

 

Overpasses play a key role in the western portion of North America, where teeming wildlife corridors are intersected by long roads like the Trans-Canada Highway. Fences help direct the animals toward the safe passages.

 

An overpass reconnecting the forest in Banff National Park, Canada. – Một cầu vượt nối lại khu rừng ở Vườn quốc gia Banff, Canada.

A safe passage for animals in Banff National Park, Canada. – Một lối đi an toàn cho động vật trong Vườn quốc gia Banff, Canada.

A place for animals to dart across in Banff National Park, Canada. – Một nơi để động vật băng qua trong Vườn Quốc gia Banff, Canada.

The use of underpasses is spreading, too. These passageways are usually compact, and so are especially helpful to smaller animals – water voles in London, badgers in British Columbia, pumas in Brazil – but in Kenya larger ones are even being used to assist elephant herds. They’re also serving aquatic species: In Washington state, underpasses recently added to Interstate-90 are linking streams and wetlands back to the Yakima River, to the benefit of salamanders, reptiles, and fish, including the bull trout, a vulnerable species.

 

In historically poorer countries that are now growing wealthier and are poised to construct new highways, overseas consultants are helping local authorities incorporate wildlife crossings into the planning phase. Rob Ament, a road ecology expert at Montana State University, is working with authorities in Bhutan, where Asian elephants roam, reports National Geographic. It’s much cheaper to incorporate the structures in highway’s designs than to retrofit them in later.

 

Inevitably, as more highways get built around the world – humanity seems to have an insatiable appetite for concrete – more wildlife will get cut off, and more animal-vehicle collisions will occur. But these overpasses, at least, are an effective way to reduce the harm. There is a path to follow.

 

Source: https://qz.com/1605449/wildlife-overpasses-that-protect-animals-are-spreading-globally/?fbclid=IwAR3mKOrf1Yy2vm7JmD5JVLwf7kgT3R5uGpCAr3jA_36OEps6BMrhi5arE7U

WORD BANK:

 


NG HỘ READ TO LEAD!

Chào bạn! Có thể bạn chưa biết, Read to Lead là một trang giáo dục phi lợi nhuận với mục đích góp phần phát triển cộng đồng người học tiếng Anh tại Việt Nam. Chúng tôi không yêu cầu người đọc phải trả bất kỳ chi phí nào để sử dụng các sản phẩm chất lượng của mình để mọi người đều có cơ hội học tập tốt hơn. Tuy nhiên, nếu bạn có thể, chúng tôi mong nhận được sự hỗ trợ tài chính từ bạn để duy trì hoạt động của trang và phát triển các sản phẩm mới.

Bạn có thể ủng hộ chúng tôi qua 1 trong 2 cách dưới đây.
– Cách 1: Chuyển tiền qua tài khoản Momo.
Số điện thoại 0947.886.865 (Chủ tài khoản: Nguyễn Tiến Trung)
Nội dung chuyển tiền: Ủng hộ Read to Lead
hoặc
– Cách 2: Chuyển tiền qua tài khoản ngân hàng.
Ngân hàng VIB chi nhánh Hải Phòng
Số tài khoản: 012704060048394 (Chủ tài khoản: Nguyễn Tiến Trung)
Nội dung chuyển tiền: Ủng hộ Read to Lead

RELATED ARTICLES
- Advertisment -
Google search engine

Most Popular