Words by Craig Thomas

When we think of mobility, we generally only think about it in the context of human mobility. However, with a greater focus on biodiversity in recent decades, the movement of animal species and the impact of human mobility on ecosystems are under the microscope.

The global demand for Transport and other Linear Infrastructure (TLI) – which includes roads, rail, powerlines, pipelines, fences and waterways – has increased rapidly over the last two decades. This means that developing transportation networks in a sustainable way has emerged as one of the primary challenges for governments all over the world.

Disrupting natural ecosystems

Roads are a major cause of disruption in natural ecosystems, reducing the functionality of wildlife corridors and contributing to the global decline in biodiversity. A paper at the recent World Road Congress in Prague – Key concepts, principles & stakeholders of the Global Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Transport and other Linear Infrastructure – highlighted how this results in edge effects (changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of two or more habitats), barrier effects for wildlife, as well as consequences for human safety, in the event of animal-vehicle collisions (AVC). 

The paper also pointed to a Global Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Transport and other Linear Infrastructure, which has been developed by an international coalition of professionals and organisations to respond to these newly identified challenges. The strategy is designed to be a roadmap for improving human and wildlife safety, ecological connectivity, biodiversity loss and resilient TLI, as we try to meet the aims of the Paris climate change agreement. 

However, if we’re serious about sustainability being at the heart of transportation development in the 21st century, it must be based on based on: 

• The social and cultural wellbeing of societies. 
• The resilience of economies in balance with nature.
• The quality of the environment and biodiversity conservation.
• Ensuring the impacts of human activities on the environment are reversible. 

Sustainable infrastructure development

The global strategy explains how to make biodiversity and ecological connectivity a natural part of all TLI development, establishing three central concepts: 

•  The main goal, objectives and key concepts on the development of TLI networks, TLI design, construction and maintenance, as well as biodiversity (i.e. ecological connectivity, barrier effects, mortality, disturbance).
• The international principles for sustainable TLI are adopted and implemented by governmental decision makers, logistic managers, planners, engineering constructors, and transport operators.
• The overall spectrum of the key stakeholders engaged on TLI, with respect to the need for local societies, ecosystems and economies. 

The strategy also outlines that the sustainability of transport infrastructure has multiple level and multiple synergies, which include both engineering and environmental approaches and policies. This highlights the need for multidisciplinary and cross-sector approaches to be implemented. 

For this roadmap for sustainable TLI development to be implemented, a framework of initiatives needs to be undertaken at an international level, that subsequently filter down to a local level. At the same time, it’s imperative that experience and knowledge, gained at local levels, is then fed back from operation to those at international levels responsible for global thinking and policymaking.