{"id":38188,"date":"2024-05-01T21:01:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T19:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/282502b5-0862-4e98-845c-84d1c728b997"},"modified":"2024-05-01T23:35:42","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T21:35:42","slug":"canopy-bridges-are-saving-endangered-wildlife-in-the-amazon-rainforest-heres-how","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/canopy-bridges-are-saving-endangered-wildlife-in-the-amazon-rainforest-heres-how\/","title":{"rendered":"Canopy bridges are saving endangered wildlife in the Amazon rainforest. Here’s how"},"content":{"rendered":"

Led by Fernanda Abra, conservationists are building low-cost canopy bridges in Brazil’s rainforest to protect tree-dwelling mammals from road accidents. <\/p>

By Daniel Graham\n <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 01 May 2024 at 19:01 PM<\/p>

\n\n

Forty percent of primate<\/a> species are endangered in Brazil, with fragmentation and road accidents among their main threats. <\/p>

In a bid to protect the tree-dwelling mammals, conservationists are building low-cost canopy bridges over parts of Highway BR-174, a 2,000-mile federal road than cuts through the Amazon rainforest. <\/p>

The work is being spearheaded by Brazil’s Fernanda Abra, who has been presented with a Whitley Award<\/a> \u2013 an honour that recognises and celebrates grassroots conservation leaders \u2013 for her contribution to the pioneering project.<\/p>

Fernanda Abra’s story. Credit: Silverback Films for Whitley Fund for Nature<\/figcaption><\/figure>

What’s the issue?<\/h2>

Brazil has the fourth-largest road network in the world. Last year, President Lula unveiled a spending programme worth 1 trillion reais (\u00a3156 billion) to boost infrastructure, with the development of new highways among the expected plans. <\/p>

Fragmentation and road accidents are among the main threats to the nation’s most endangered primates.<\/p>

Brazil has the fourth-largest road network in the world. Credit: Instituto de Pesquisas Ecol\u00f3gicas<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Reconecta Project<\/h2>

Recognising the issue, Abra, an associate researcher at Brazilian NGO Instituto de Pesquisas Ecol\u00f3gicas<\/a>, and her team are constructing low-cost canopy bridges across one of Brazil’s longest roads, Highway BR-174. The project has been named ‘Reconecta Project’.<\/p>

The bridges consist of steel cables, ropes and nylon nets and are anchored by concrete posts. Abra’s team use two designs: a rope lattice and a single cable encased in braided rope attached to trees. The materials for each bridge cost about \u00a31,500.<\/p>

\"Canopy
The bridges consist of steel cables, ropes and nylon nets and are anchored by concrete posts. Credit: Instituto de Pesquisas Ecol\u00f3gicas<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Following construction, each canopy bridge is monitored with two camera traps, recording the numbers of animals approaching, crossing or avoiding the bridges. <\/p>

Since Abra and her team built 30 artificial canopy bridges to restore forest connectivity for wildlife in 2022, they have been used by eight arboreal species, with the golden-handed tamarin \u2013 an important cultural symbol for the Indigenous people \u2013 the most frequent user.<\/p>

\"Canopy
The team are constructing low-cost canopy bridges across one Brazil’s longest roads, Highway BR-174. Credit: Instituto de Pesquisas Ecol\u00f3gicas<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The researchers observed the bridges being used within just 30 days of installation with some species showing a preference for specific canopy bridge designs. In all, 500 crossing have been recorded over an 11-month period, a number that\u2019s expected to rise as mammals get used to them. <\/p>

The team plan to use the science-based initiative to address a scarcity of research surrounding wildlife bridges in the Amazon rainforest. This includes loss of connectivity in the canopy and road mortality caused by vehicle collisions.<\/p>

\"Canopy
Road accidents are one of the main threats to Brazil’s most endangered primates \u2013 Reconecta Project hopes to change this. Credit: Instituto de Pesquisas Ecol\u00f3gicas<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Waimiri-Atroari support<\/h2>

Key to the success of Reconecta Project was the support of the Waimiri-Atroari Indigenous people. The 2.3 million-hectare territory \u2013 considered one of the best preserved in the Amazon \u2013 is bisected by the federal highway.<\/p>

The Waimiri-Atroari people have been lobbying for artificial canopy bridges for decades after Highway BR-174 became a source of wildlife mortality following its construction in the 1970s. <\/p>

\"Canopy
Two designs are used to make the bridges: a rope lattice and a single cable encased in braided rope attached to trees. Credit: Instituto de Pesquisas Ecol\u00f3gicas<\/figcaption><\/figure>

As part of Reconecta Project, more than 150 Waimiri-Atroari people participated in the construction and installation of the canopy bridges along a 125 km section of the highway. <\/p>

Abra also collaborated with Brazil\u2019s federal transport and environment agencies \u2013 the National Transport Infrastructure Department (DNIT) and the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) \u2013 as well as with the Federal Amazonas University, or UFAM.<\/p>

\"Canopy
The bridges have been installed along a 125km section of the highway. Credit: Instituto de Pesquisas Ecol\u00f3gicas<\/figcaption><\/figure>

What’s next?<\/h2>

Whitley Fund for Nature<\/a> (WFN) has presented Fernanda Abra with a Whitley Award for her work with Reconecta Project.<\/p>

With the funding received from the award, Abra plans to continue to measure the success of the bridges in increasing habitat connectivity for tree-dwelling species and reducing road mortality on BR-174. The team plan to expand the project to Alta Floresta, a frontier town located in the state of Mato Grosso.<\/p>

Eight primate species can be found in Alta Floresta, of which five are endangered specifically because of loss of natural habitat, fragmentation and road collisions: Groves\u2019 titi, black-faced black spider monkey, Schneider\u2019s marmoset, Spix\u2019s red-handed howler monkey, and Pur\u00fas red howler monkey.<\/p>

\"Canopy
The team plans to expand the project to Alta Floresta, a frontier town home to eight primate species. Credit: Instituto de Pesquisas Ecol\u00f3gicas<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Abra has identified five locations where canopy bridges are imperative for reconnection. She plans to train more than 200 people from the federal transport and environmental agencies that work with environmental licensing for roads in nine states in the Brazilian Amazon as part of her goal of establishing a culture of sustainable infrastructure.<\/p>

Find out more about Fernanda Abra and the 2024 Whitley Awards<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>

More stories about the environment:<\/strong><\/p>