Ecological connectivity in the Carpathian Mountains

Animals naturally need to move due to different rea­sons: search for food, shelter, new home territories, partners or breeding places for their offspring. The fragmentation of the landscape mostly affects those species that require large natural habitats, especially large carnivores: grey wolf, Eurasian lynx and brown bear. Some of these habitats are protected by the EU Habitats Directive as part of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas.

Animals naturally need to move due to different rea­sons: search for food, shelter, new home territories, partners or breeding places for their offspring. The fragmentation of the landscape mostly affects those species that require large natural habitats, especially large carnivores: grey wolf, Eurasian lynx and brown bear. Some of these habitats are protected by the EU Habitats Directive as part of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas.

The presence of large carnivores in nature sometimes stirs polarized discussions about possible conflicts with humans, but those conflicts are often just one of the consequences of landscape fragmentation. As the liv­ing space of bear, wolf and lynx is shrinking, the num­ber of contacts with people may be increasing. These species are tied to large undisturbed forest areas with no or very little low human presence. Furthermore, long distance movement is a part of their biology.

Large carnivores are called “umbrella species”. If they have proper space to move/migrate, it indicates the fact that also smaller species can.

Brown bear

The Carpathians host the second largest population of bears in Europe: about 8000. Bears have a low reproductive rate and are vulnerable to human‑caused mortality and to landscape fragmentation. Motorways and high‑speed railways are the most relevant barriers for them.

Grey wolf

In the Carpathians, the wolf population represents 30% of the European total. Wolves are able to overcome roads or non‑forested areas — even those close to human settlements — mainly during the night or in the early morning. Wolves usually tolerate roads and tourism as long as they have safe escape areas. Poaching is among the most significant threats to the wolf.

Eurasian lynx

The largest felid species in Europe needs large forested areas in mountains for survival. During the breeding period, males move long distances (up to 100 km). Outside that period, males and females strictly defend the territory against individuals of the same sex. In spring, the young leave the mother’s territory and move long distances to establish their own suitable territory.

A large amount of the area of the Carpathians is already protected as national parks, protected landscape areas, or other natural reserves. Recently, NATURA 2000 network has even enlarged the share of conservation lands, which covers all significant mountain ranges. However, it still provides rather a patchy system of isolated protected zones. The interconnection of protected areas into a continuous network is crucial for the functioning of large carnivore populations.

Movement or migration barriers are natural or man­made structures in the landscape, which disrupt the free movement of animals. Decisions made on trans­port infrastructure and urban developments have not thoroughly taken the value of landscape and biodi­versity into consideration. The current major barriers come, in most cases, as a result of human activities. And landscape is com­posed not only of individual barriers but a mixture of migration and movement barriers. The cumulative effect of barriers can not only restrict but is able to even stop animal migration and isolate the animals from genetic point of view, with serious effects on the population.

Linear infrastructure (roads, highways, railways): Roads and Railways are not only barriers but also a direct cause of mortality. Other negative impacts are noise and light disturbance.

Settlements (living areas, commercial and industrial zones, often fenced, recreation facilities, etc.): Rep­resent an impermeable barrier. The density of settle­ments is often so high that it is impossible for wildlife to move from one large natural habitat to another.

Fences: Encompass game enclosures, vineyards, pastures etc.

Unsuitable biotopes (large treeless areas, agricultural lands, etc.): Significant barriers for large carnivores who instinctively tend to avoid open spaces, especially during the day.

The ConnectGREEN project aims to cope with the fast habitat fragmentation in the Danube-Carpath­ian region, as well as to improve ecological connec­tivity between natural habitats — especially NATU­RA 2000 sites and other protected areas of transna­tional importance.

Very few spatial planners have the knowledge and experience to ensure that conflicts between devel­opment and nature conservation are minimized as they develop new plans. More importantly, legally binding mechanisms taking into consideration the requirements of functioning ecological corridors are poorly implemented, mainly because of the lack of reliable data.