NHAI Releases Document on ‘Wildlife Mitigation Measures & Structures’ Highlighting Strengthened Wildlife Conservation Measures Along National Highways

The National Highways Authority of India issued a guidance document on Wildlife Mitigation Measures and Structures presenting wildlife conservation integration in highway planning. The document applies to infrastructure planners, project authorities, and executing agencies involved in National Highway projects across the country. The framework outlines structural interventions such as animal underpasses, overpasses, viaducts, tunnels, bridges, and canopy crossings, alongside non-structural measures like guide fencing, noise barriers, reptile crossings, signage, and speed regulation. The publication details that over 2,150 wildlife mitigation structures have been constructed or proposed along National Highways, backed by an investment of around Rs. 19,700 crores over the past five years for wildlife mitigation infrastructure and environmental protection measures. Funding allocations include approximately Rs. 4,600 crores for animal underpasses, Rs. 650 crores for animal overpasses, Rs. 8,300 crores for viaducts, Rs. 2,800 crores for tunnels, Rs. 2,500 crores for major bridges, and Rs. 500 crores for minor bridges, with guide fencing and noise barriers installed across more than 300 kilometres of highway alignments. Monitoring mechanisms such as camera trapping are included to evaluate movement patterns and identify collision hotspots. For citizens and animal welfare advocates, the document provides a reference framework regarding the protective structures established along national transit routes to prevent habitat fragmentation and animal-vehicle collisions, enabling them to understand the specific engineering installations implemented in their regions.