At first glance, it looks like a strip of bushland floating above a highway south of Sydney. But the newly retrofitted wildlife bridge at Cawleys Bridge is drawing attention for more than its unusual appearance.
The project could help prevent the deaths of koalas, quolls, gliders, wombats, and other animals that have struggled to cross one of Australia's busiest road corridors, as reported by Mongabay.
Recent reporting and images from Cawleys Bridge show an ordinary concrete maintenance bridge being turned into a multispecies crossing over the M1 Princes Motorway, which carries about 40,000 vehicles a day between Heathcote National Park and Royal National Park.
The retrofit was designed with a wide range of animals in mind. It includes rope crossings for arboreal species such as sugar gliders and ringtail possums, a raised wooden pathway for animals such as koalas and reptiles, and a planted ground-level corridor for wombats, echidnas, amphibians, and insects. Long fencing "wings" help guide animals toward the bridge and away from the road.
The upgrade follows years of concern over wildlife deaths along this stretch of motorway. Mongabay reported that the five-year toll topped 200 larger animals, while smaller species were likely missed in the count. Motion-sensing cameras have now been installed to track which species begin using the new route.
Ecologists say roads, development, and increasingly severe bushfires are fragmenting habitat and isolating wildlife populations, making it harder for animals to find food, mates, and safer territory after disasters.
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Wildlife crossings can reduce animal deaths and improve movement, but only when they are designed around how species behave. Cawleys Bridge includes everything from cover plants to overhead ropes. These projects work best when animals feel protected enough to use them.
Ecologist Kylie Madden told Mongabay that the old bridge was so barren that, in winter, "nothing was using it." Now, she said, the goal is to make it "functional for everything."
"We need to really make sure our reserves are connected … to make them as resilient as possible for the future," Madden added.
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