Wildlife overpasses, green bridges, and ecoducts all refer to structures that have been built over roads to allow wildlife to cross safely to the other side of the road. The bridges are for the animals; the animals walk over the road, and the vehicles go through the structure. Most of the structures are between 10 m (30 ft) and 60 m (180 ft) wide. They typically have soil, litter, and vegetation on top to provide suitable habitat for a range of different species and species groups. The larger structures are typically intended for large mammals ranging from ungulates (e.g. deer, elk, moose) to large carnivores (e.g. black bear, grizzly bear, Canada lynx, wolverine, wolf). Here are pictures of some of the most beautiful and interesting wildlife overpasses in the world. — Marcel Huijser
Above: Ecoduct De Woeste Hoeve over the highway A50, Netherlands
Wildlife Overpass, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. In Banff National Park, there are currently 41 wildlife crossing structures (6 overpasses and 35 underpasses) that help wildlife safely cross the busy Trans-Canada Highway. Since monitoring began in 1996, 11 species of large mammals—including bears, elk and cougar—have used crossing structures more than 200,000 times.
Image: Joel Sartore
Wildlife Overpass, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada link
Ecoduct in Netherlands; The Netherlands was one of the first countries to deploy a network of wildlife crossings across the landscape.
Image: jimsawthat / Flickr
“Animals’ bridge” in Montana, USA
Green bridge over the highway 464 near Boeblingen, Germany
Image: Creative Commons
Unusual overpass for crabs: Red crabs climb over an overpass to cross a road on Christmas Island during their migration. (Christmas Island National Park, Australia)
Image: ABC Goldfields