How New India is integrating its Highways and Biodiversity ?

India’s highway infrastructure growth post-2014 has been remarkable, with a focus on expanding the national highway network and upgrading existing roads. The government is constructing an average of 22 km of highways per day, which has resulted in the construction of over 77500 km of highways since 2014. This is more than half of the total highway network in India.

In addition, several expressways have been inaugurated, including the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and the Western Peripheral Expressway around Delhi, the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway, and the Yamuna Expressway. The total length of India’s national highway network has increased to over 150,000 km, which has improved connectivity and facilitated economic growth in the country.

India’s wildlife and ecological growth has been noteworthy in recent years, with the government implementing several initiatives to protect and conserve its biodiversity. The country has over 100 national parks, 550 wildlife sanctuaries, and 13 biosphere reserves, providing habitat to numerous endangered species such as the Bengal Tiger, Indian Rhino, and Asiatic Lion. India has also increased its forest cover, with the latest estimates suggesting a total forest cover of 24.56% of the country’s geographical area.

Synchronising wildlife and highway growth globally is a complex challenge that requires balancing the needs of transportation infrastructure development with the conservation of wildlife and their habitats. The primary challenge is the fragmentation and loss of wildlife habitats caused by road construction and traffic. This fragmentation restricts animal movement, which can lead to genetic isolation, reduced population sizes, and ultimately, extinctions. Other challenges include human-wildlife conflict resulting from collisions, habitat destruction, and increased accessibility for poaching and illegal wildlife trade.

Similarly, India was facing such challenges in integrating its biodiversity with the infrastructural growth especially in expanding the highway network. Indian culture has been very much entwined with biodiversity conservation since ancient ages. The government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi decided to address this challenge and integrate its highway expansion with the conservation of its biodiversity.

“Some stretches or sections in about 100 National Highways are falling in or passing through forest areas declared as Wildlife Sanctuary/National Park or its Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ).

In order to minimize the impact of highway development on wildlife, the Ministry has issued instructions to implementing agencies to make all efforts to avoid any road alignment through National Parks or Wildlife Sanctuaries, even if it requires taking a longer route/bypass. However if it is absolutely unavoidable, land to be acquired is limited to a maximum right of way of 30m and all necessary clearances required under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, Forest Conversion Act 1980 and Environment ( Protection) Act 1986, are obtained before any work is undertaken in such areas. The Ministry has also mandated the implementing agencies to follow the provisions of the manual titled “Eco-Friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure on Wild Life”, prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India, at the planning stage itself.

Further, site-specific mitigation measures are being taken in consultation with Forest Authorities, incorporating one or more of several options as per site requirements like construction of culverts, underpass, overpass (ecoduct), viaduct, tunnel, guard wall, fencing, vegetative barrier, anti-light glare, sound barrier, etc. Funds are also provided to the concerned Forest Authorities for taking measures as per their approved WildLife Management Plan like creation of the waterholes, site specific plantation and landscaping, animal conservation units, rescue operation, anti-poaching unit, watch tower, monitoring, awareness, involvement of locals, construction of post guard, illumination and fencing around the boundary of Protected Area (PA) or its Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) etc., for conservation of wildlife habitat and reduction of human animal conflict. Cautionary sign boards and rumble strips are also placed in coordination with Forest Authorities to alert the public and road users and protect animals.” said Hon’ble Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India.

The eco bridges & Elevated Corridors have been one of the best methods adopted by the NHAI of Government of India.

Eco bridges in India: Eco Bridges are links of wildlife habitat that connect two larger sections of similar wildlife habitat. They are also known as wildlife crossings or wildlife corridors. The goal of Eco Bridges is to improve wildlife connectivity. It reunites wildlife populations that would otherwise be divided by man-made structures or activities like highways and other forms of infrastructure, logging and farming, etc. These are constructed with local plants, giving the impression that the landscape and the plantations are one.

Eco-bridges include underpass tunnels, viaducts, and overpasses (mainly for large or herd-type animals); amphibian tunnels; fish ladders; Canopy bridge (especially for monkeys and squirrels), tunnels and culverts (for small mammals such as otters, hedgehogs, and badgers); green roofs (for butterflies and birds).The two main aspects considered in building the eco bridges are size and location. These bridges should be built based on the animals’ movement pattern.

Significance of Eco Bridges: The likelihood of pollination and dispersal of rare native plants could significantly rise if wildlife moved from one nature reserve to another across the motorway.

By enabling travel between the once-separate forests, the bridge would promote wildlife interaction and successfully broaden the habitat, mating, and foraging ranges of flora and fauna. This would prevent genetic isolation of fragmented flora and fauna populations.It is established that installing crossing facilities at strategic locations along vehicle corridors increases safety, reconnects habitats, and restores wildlife movement.

Eco-bridges would increase human connection and encourage healthy genetic material interchange, which would decrease the likelihood of inbreeding and boost the long-term survival of our native species.

Here are such major projects where eco-bridges & elevated are announced or implemented in India first time ever in the history after the year 2014:-

1. A 37.45 km elevated corridor in Pench tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh was constructed at a cost of 240 crores.

2. 9 Eco bridges & 42 animal underpasses on Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway.

3. Elevation of 12 Kms 4 lane highway on Saharanpur-Dehradun road to reduce wildlife casualties in Shivalik Forests.

4. Elevated 38-kilometres-long corridor in Kaziranga National Park to protect single horn rhino and elephants.

5. An eco-bridge on Kaladhungi-Nainital highway which was constructed in a record time of just 10 days.

6. An eco-bridge linking the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra with the forests in Telangana’s Kumram Bheem Asifabad district.

It is the intent of the leadership that reflects in the decisions and policies of the government. Today we can proudly say that in India, highways & wildlife and this is new India’s development model in its Amrit Kaal that aims to parallelly develop its infrastructure conserving its biodiversity which is an exemplary governance model for the world.