Nature and landscape protection
Roads, railway lines and fenced-off airports are responsible for habitat fragmentation, thus impairing ecological connectivity and contributing to the decline of many wildlife populations. Under the guidelines issued by the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) in 2001 for the planning and construction of wildlife crossings on traffic routes, the restoration of wildlife corridors of national importance is a key priority.
When planning construction or transformation projects for large transport infrastructures, an environment impact assessment (EIA) must be performed to ensure that the environmental protection demands are met. The decision making authority expresses an opinion on the project and, if necessary, imposes new conditions so that such projects can be performed in an environmentally respectful manner. Roads, large car parks, railways and airports are subject to EIAs. Between 1990 and 2005, 548 reports connected with transport infrastructures were studied. In the last few years, monitoring of transport infrastructure construction sites has become a very useful tool for ensuring that the measures on environment protection are applied adequately and in conformity with current legislation