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M50 Wildlife Bridges

  • 02-06-2021 09:40PM
    #1
    Leyenda007
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8 ✭


    Hello all! I am wondering if there are many places that deer and other wildlife can cross into and out of the greater Dublin area? Is the M50 acting as one huge barrier to the natural migration for our wildlife? Are there places they can go under it/over it through fields?


Comments

  • #2
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 55,434 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    i'm not aware of any; there aren't many wildlife refuges within the M50 and when it was originally built, i think the concept would have been considered a laughable novelty in ireland anyway. a 'what, you want to build a bridge for badgers?' sort of reaction.


  • #3
    Alkers
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 6,911 ✭✭✭Alkers


    They are not built as bridges - they're called mammal underpasses. I'm not aware that there are any on the m50.


  • #4
    hirondelle
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 326 ✭✭hirondelle


    Alkers wrote: »
    They are not built as bridges - they're called mammal underpasses. I'm not aware that there are any on the m50.

    There are overpasses built specifically for wildlife also (although not in this country) so bridges is also a correct term.


  • #5
    Alun
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 21,543 ✭✭✭✭Alun


    hirondelle wrote: »
    There are overpasses built specifically for wildlife also (although not in this country) so bridges is also a correct term.
    Yes, the ones built under roads tend to be for smaller mammals, more like tunnels really, whereas the overpasses tend to be much wider and designed for larger mammals such as deer.

    I remember seeing one such overpass in the Netherlands in the Veluwe national park over a motorway.

    https://images.app.goo.gl/fpWgFWko7V64M2Yb9


  • #6
    Dial Hard
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 15,602 ✭✭✭✭Dial Hard


    This is brilliant from the NY Times. The footage is amazing.

    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/05/31/climate/wildlife-crossings-animals.html?referringSource=articleShare
    magicbastarder wrote: »
    i'm not aware of any; there aren't many wildlife refuges within the M50.

    It runs right through Tymon Park. Definitely has an adverse effect on wildlife, as do all large roads, but I definitely don't think we see anywhere near the same level of roadkill as we did when I was a kid. Whether that's a function of underpasses or just massively reduced wildlife numbers, I don't know, but I know which I'd guess.


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