Delhi-Dehradun Expressway: Critical underpass records its first wildlife movement, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, featuring one of Asia's largest wildlife elevated corridors, recorded its first wildlife movement.
• The 12-km stretch of the 213-km expressway, located near Dehradun, cuts through Rajaji and Shivalik forest divisions.
• A 40-day study by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and NHAI along an 18-km stretch documented 18 unique wild animals using the underpass.
• Animals such as elephants, golden jackals, deer, nilgai, and sambhar were recorded using the underpass.
• The study used 150 high-tech cameras and 29 Audio-moth acoustic recorders, capturing over 40,000 photos of wild animals.
• The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway is scheduled to be inaugurated on April 14 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Detailed Insights:

• The expressway section passes through the Rajaji and Shivalik forest divisions, habitats for endangered species like tigers, elephants, greater hornbills, and king cobras.
• NHAI constructed animal underpasses to mitigate the impact of infrastructure projects on wildlife and reduce human-wildlife conflict.
• The underpass is located seven meters below the road, allowing animals to pass safely beneath the elevated expressway.
• The WII study recorded 60 instances of elephants using the corridors, indicating the infrastructure's suitability for larger animals.
• The Delhi-Dehradun Economic corridor aims to improve connectivity while minimizing ecological disruption through dedicated wildlife passages.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Wildlife Corridor: A habitat area that connects wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures.
• NHAI (National Highways Authority of India): An autonomous agency responsible for developing, maintaining, and managing national highways in India.
• Human-Wildlife Conflict: Interactions between humans and wild animals that lead to negative impacts on either humans, animals, resources, or habitats.