India's Infrastructure Development and Habitat Fragmentation: A Growing Threat to Wildlife

Modern transportation infrastructure, such as highways and high-speed railways, serves as a double-edged sword, promoting connectivity for humans but posing a significant threat to wildlife by fragmenting habitats and disrupting ecosystems.

India, known for its rich biodiversity and abundant wildlife, is witnessing a rapid expansion of its transportation infrastructure. While the development of highways is crucial for the country's economic growth and connectivity, it has inadvertently led to the fragmentation of animal habitats and posed a significant threat to various species. As India continues to strive for progress, it is essential to strike a balance between development and conservation to safeguard our unique wildlife. 

Earlier, I had written about the adverse impact that we effect on climate change in my post, Impact of Humans on Climate Change. 

In this post, we shall look into the complex relationship between India's growing infrastructure development and its profound impact on the country's rich wildlife. As the nation undergoes rapid economic growth and urbanization, the consequences for the natural habitats of diverse flora and fauna are becoming increasingly apparent. The transformation of the landscape is inevitably altering the balance between human progress and well-being of wildlife.

Impact of Highway Construction on Animal Habitats

The construction of new highways often involves the clearing of vast stretches of land, including forests and other natural habitats. This disruption severely affects the delicate balance of ecosystems, displacing numerous animal species from their native habitats, further endangering the survival of various species. Fragmentation of habitats occurs when roads divide previously contiguous landscapes, isolating populations and hindering their movement and genetic diversity.

Barrier Effect

Highways act as physical barriers that obstruct the natural movement of wildlife across their territories. This fragmentation can result in the isolation of populations, restricting their access to food, water, mates, and suitable breeding grounds. Isolated populations are more susceptible to inbreeding, reducing genetic diversity and weakening their long-term survival prospects.

Increased Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions

The rise in highways leads to increased encounters between vehicles and wildlife, often resulting in fatal collisions. Animals, such as deer, elephants, tigers, and numerous bird species, are unable to comprehend the dangers posed by fast-moving vehicles, leading to a higher mortality rate. These collisions not only cause significant harm to wildlife populations but also pose risks to human life and property.

Disrupted Migration Routes or Animal Corridors

Many animals undertake regular migrations, moving across large areas in search of resources or suitable breeding grounds. Highways that cut through these migration corridors disrupt the natural patterns, preventing animals from reaching their destinations. Such disruptions can have cascading effects on entire ecosystems, affecting predator-prey dynamics, seed dispersal, and the overall health of the ecosystem. 

Few examples of how proposed development or expansion of roads and railways is impacting animal corridors are illustrated below.

Melghat-Satpura-Pench Corridor

This corridor connects three tiger reserves in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Movement of tigers is threatened by existing national highways NH46 (Gwalior to Betul) and NH47 (Bamanbor in Gujarat to Nagpur), state highway SH26 (Khategaon-Chhindwara-Amarkantak), and the Nagpur-Bhopal, Itarsi-Jabalpur and Itarsi-Mumbai railway corridor.
Fortunately, in May 2022, the National Tiger Conservation (NTCA) asked Madhya Pradesh chief wildlife warden to inform the NHAI to stop road widening work in the Satpura-Melghat tiger reserve corridor on NH-46 (old NH-69). Current status is not known.

Ranthambhore-Kuno-Madhav Corridor

This corridor connects three tiger reserves in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Madhav National Park is located in one of the 32 tiger corridors of India. It is threatened by the proposed expansion of the National Highway 27 (Shivpuri-Jhansi-Kanpur). The shaded area in the middle is Kuno National Park.

Nagarhole-Bandipur-Wayanad Corridor

This corridor connects three tiger reserves in Karnataka and Kerala. It is threatened by the proposed expansion of the National Highway 766. The highway connects Kozhikode in Kerala with Kollegal in Karnataka via Mysore. Of the total distance of 272 km, 117 km is in Kerala and 155 is in Karnataka.

Conservation Efforts and Mitigation Measures

Recognizing the ecological consequences of highway development, several conservation initiatives and mitigation measures have been undertaken to minimize the impact on wildlife.

Eco-friendly Highways / Railways Design

Incorporating wildlife-friendly features into highway design, such as underpasses, overpasses, and elevated corridors, allows animals to safely cross the roads. These structures help reconnect fragmented habitats and restore movement corridors for wildlife. For instance, the construction of wildlife crossings, such as the ones on the Samruddhi Expressway (Nagpur-Mumbai), aim to provide safe passages for animals, reducing the risk of collisions.

An example from the railways is the under pass for elephants, built in Madukkari Forest Division in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. These measures acknowledge the unique challenges faced by large mammals during their daily movement and help resolving the problems.

Protected Wildlife Corridors

The National Tiger Conservation Authority alongwith the Wildlife Institute of India, in letter and spirit of section 38 O (1) (g) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 have identified 32 major tiger corridors in the country.

Identifying and creating protected wildlife corridors can facilitate the movement of animals across highways. These corridors should be strategically planned based on scientific studies and ecological assessments to ensure their effectiveness.

Speed Regulations and Signage

Implementing speed regulations near wildlife crossing zones, along with proper signage and warnings, can help reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. 

While the placement of signages in animal crossing zones is a step in the right direction, it is essential to acknowledge their limitations. Signages alone may not effectively compel drivers to reduce their speed, especially in the absence of visible threats or consequences. Drivers may overlook or underestimate the significance of the signage.

Take a look at the picture below, which makes it clear that signages on highways cutting through animal corridors have practically no impact in reducing instances of animal-vehicle collisions, as there are no physical barriers to vehicle speeds.  

Question: have you noticed such signs while driving on highways and made an effort to slow down?

It is sincerely requested that NHAI introduces additional measures aimed at slowing down traffic. Speed breakers and rumbler strips serve as physical deterrents, inducing drivers to reduce their speed as they approach animal crossing zones.
Without these measures, drivers may not feel compelled to alter their speed, jeopardizing the safety of both wildlife and motorists. Heavy vehicles pose a greater risk as they are less likely to decelerate promptly without the presence of physical deterrents.

Conservation Awareness and Research

Promoting public awareness about the importance of wildlife conservation and the impact of highways on animal habitats is essential in saving wildlife. Conducting research to monitor wildlife movement patterns and assess the effectiveness of mitigation measures can further support conservation efforts.

While the development of highways is necessary for India's progress, it must be accompanied by a serious commitment to wildlife conservation. By incorporating eco-friendly designs, establishing protected corridors, and implementing concrete actions, we can minimize the fragmentation of animal habitats and mitigate the threats faced by India's diverse wildlife. The implementation of wildlife crossings and underpasses is a positive step, but a broader and more concerted effort is needed to ensure the coexistence of human development and biodiversity.

Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty - Albert Einstein.