Wildlife & Traffic
A European Handbook for Identifying Conflicts and Designing Solutions
Contents
- 10.1 Introduction
- 10.2 Developing an adaptive ecological asset maintenance plan
- 10.3. Maintenance requirements for ecological asset and wildlife management
- 10.4 Maintenance tasks sheets
- Maintenance of fencing: meshes and poles
- Maintenance of fencing: escape devices
- Maintenance of cattle grids
- Maintenance of screens installed to reduce disturbances
- Maintenance of amphibian/small fauna fences
- Maintenance of ecoducts, wildlife and multiuse overpasses
- Maintenance of viaducts, wildlife and multiuse underpasses
- Maintenance of modified culverts
- Maintenance of amphibian tunnels
- Maintenance of wildlife awareness signs
- Maintenance of signs activated by Animal Detection Systems (ADS)
- Management of vegetation
- Management of habitats for pollinators and other small fauna
- Control of Invasive Alien Species (IAS)
- Management of verges to reduce forest fire risk in sensitive areas
- Management of retention ponds to wildlife
- Management of road killed animals
- Management of Animal-Vehicle Collisions (AVC) data
- 10.5 References
- Appendix 1
- Appendix 2
Maintenance of screens installed to reduce disturbances

INSPECTION TASKS
To check
- Components are not broken and have no gaps (different requirements for wood, concrete or polymer screens).
- Screens are correctly fixed to perimeter fences,maintaining continuity.
- For transparent screens, check appropriate marks have been installed to avoid bird collisions and that mortality is not apparent.
- If screens are designed to guide bat flight across the linear infrastructure, inspection should be provided according to the specific standards.

SPECIFIC MAINTENANCE TASKS
To do
- Repair or replace any element that is broken or damaged.
- Install anti-vandal reinforcements to prevent wooden planks from being stolen.
- Consider replacing an existing screen when its design or materials are inappropriate, and maintenance costs rise.
- Reinforce the anchorage to the ground or to the perimeter fences when required.
- If any bird collisions are detected, mark transparent screens with coloured stripes according to the specific standards to ensure visibility to birds.
- Restrict access and/or educate and inform local stakeholders in case of repeated damage caused by people.

SCHEDULE
- Minimum: once a year, just before seasonal migrations or periods when target species movements are increased.
- More frequent inspection may be required in sections that are repeatedly damaged.
- Additional inspections should be planned following floods, strong winds, snow or other adverse weather events.
Maintenance of ecological assets on transport linear infrastructure