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30-775: The Eco-Link@BKE is an ecological bridge in Singapore which connects the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve with the Central Catchment Nature Reserve . The Eco-Link is 75 metres (246 ft) long and crosses over the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE). The bridge is shaped like an hourglass and at its narrowest point is 50 metres (160 ft) wide. Opened in 2012, the Eco-Link is the first such ecological bridge in

60-516: A wolf corridor was restored through a golf course in Jasper National Park , Alberta , which successfully altered wildlife behavior and showed frequent use by the wolf population. Some species are more likely to utilize habitat corridors depending on migration and mating patterns, making it essential that corridor design is targeted towards a specific species. Due to space constraints, buffers are not usually implemented. Without

90-543: A buffer zone, corridors can become affected by disturbances from human land use change . There is a possibility that corridors could aid in the spread of invasive species, threatening native populations. Mandai Wildlife Bridge The bridge will allow animals, but not people, to cross from one part of the reserve to the other. Prior to the bridge's construction, animals such as mouse deer , civets , shrew-faced squirrels and Sunda pangolins were cut off from others of their own species by Mandai Lake Road. The bridge

120-562: A large home range. Large herbivores , medium to large carnivores , and migratory species are typical passage users. Corridor dwellers , on the other hand, can occupy a corridor for several years. Species such as plants , reptiles , amphibians , birds , insects , and small mammals may spend their entire lives in linear habitats. In such cases, the corridor must provide enough resources to support such species. Habitat corridors can be categorized based on their width, with wider corridors generally supporting greater wildlife use. However,

150-658: Is also used to evaluate migration and mating patterns. By analyzing gene flow within a population, researchers can better understand the long- term role of corridors in migration and genetic diversity. Wildlife corridors are most effective when designed with the ecology of their target species in mind. Factors such as seasonal movement, avoidance behavior, dispersal patterns, and specific habitat requirements must also be considered. Corridors are more successful when they include some degree of randomness or asymmetry and are oriented perpendicular to habitat patches. However, they are vulnerable to edge effects ; habitat quality along

180-419: Is intended to allow individuals living on either side of the bridge to breed with each other and increase genetic diversity. According to authorities, roadkill was not the direct reason for constructing the bridge. However, several animals including a Sunda pangolin , a leopard cat , a sambar deer , a wild boar and several Sunda colugos had been found dead on or near the road in the two years prior to

210-630: The Asia-Pacific . The Eco-Link@BKE is intended to aid in wildlife conservation efforts in Singapore. Until the Bukit Timah Expressway was built in 1986, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve were connected. The Bukit Timah Expressway severed the connection, leading to a number of negative impacts to the wildlife living in those reserves. Animals who tried to cross the expressway to get from one reserve to

240-534: The Trans-Canada Highway , which passes through Banff National Park . The tops of the bridges are planted with trees and native grasses, with fences present on either side to help guide animals. In Southern California , 15 underpasses and drainage culverts were observed to see how many animals used them as corridors. They proved to be especially effective on wide-ranging species such as carnivores, mule deer , small mammals, and reptiles, even though

270-575: The Bukit Timah Expressway. In 2016, a lesser mouse deer was seen in Bukit Timah. It was believed to have used the Eco-Link since before that the species had only been seen in Central Catchment. Authorities hope that when the trees mature, Raffles' banded langur monkeys will use the Eco-Link to expand their range into Bukit Timah. Raffles' banded langur is critically endangered in Singapore, with only about 60 individuals remaining, and

300-446: The available space for animals such as the common palm civet to live in. Also, by isolating populations of animals it reduced the genetic diversity of each population. Eco-Link@BKE was intended to address these issues by creating a safe crossing between the reserves, and allowing expansion of the animals' habitats and gene pools . Plans for an Eco-Link began in 1994, and was eventually announced in 2009. Construction began in 2011 and

330-760: The benefits of wildlife corridors to wildlife conservation are used and managed by indigenous communities. Habitat corridors can be considered a management tool in areas where the destruction of a natural habitats has severely impacted native species , whether due to human development or natural disasters. When land is fragmented, wildlife populations may become unstable or isolated from larger populations. These management tools are used by ecologists, biologists , indigenous tribes, and other concerned parties that oversee wildlife populations. Corridors help reconnect these fragmented populations and reduce negative population fluctuations by supporting these key aspects that stabilize populations: Daniel Rosenberg et al. were among

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360-540: The bridge to capture photos of animals crossing. Since the Eco-Link was completed, several animals species have been seen using it to cross from one reserve to the other. These include the Sunda pangolin, the common palm civet, the long-tailed macaque , the slender squirrel , the glossy horseshoe bat , the lesser Asiatic yellow bat , the pouched tomb bat , the blue-eared kingfisher and the emerald dove . Between April 2014 and October 2015 no dead pangolins were found near

390-484: The bridge was completed in 2012. The Eco-Link had cost more than S$ 10 million to build. The bridge is covered with native vegetation, including trees and shrubs, which is intended to replicate a native forest ecosystem enticing to the animals. There is a fence on the bridge to prevent certain large animals such as sambar deer and wild boar from crossing into Bukit Timah, which is too small and fragile to sustain them. Camera traps and bat detectors are installed along

420-467: The bridge. According to Singapore's Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee , "It is reassuring that the bridge gives (animals) a better chance of survival, and, in fact, to flourish in this highly urbanised Singapore. Because Singapore is not just about concrete, or steel, or glass, or roads, or buildings, it is also about the green spaces that we work very hard and pro-actively to cherish, to protect, and more importantly, to enhance.” With

450-507: The canopy to mature. The trees planted are of varying heights in order to better replicate a forest environment. The bridge does not actually go into the Central Catchment Nature Reserve but connects two buffer zones which have been established adjacent to the reserve. The buffer zones help ensure that the reserve itself is not impacted by the structure. The bridge is part of a long-term project to develop

480-420: The center habitat were two to four times more likely to move to the connected remnant rather than the disconnected ones. Furthermore, male holly plants were placed in the center region, and female holly plants in the connected region increased by 70 percent in seed production compared to those plants in the disconnected region. Plant seed dispersal through bird droppings was noted to be the dispersal method with

510-404: The completion of the bridge, and it is hoped that the bridge will reduce such incidents. The bridge spans 140 metres (460 ft) over Mandai Lake Road. The bridge was completed on 6 December 2019 after 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 years of construction. Trees have been planted on the bridge to replicate a forest environment for animals to use as a crossing although it will take 5 to 10 years for

540-436: The corridors were not intended specifically for animals. Researchers also learned that factors such as surrounding habitat, underpass dimensions, and human activity played a role in the frequency of usage. In South Carolina , five remnant areas of land were monitored; one was put in the center with the other four surrounding it. Then, a corridor was put between one of the remnants and the center. Butterflies that were placed in

570-465: The edge of a habitat fragment is often much lower than in core habitat areas. While wildlife corridors are essential for large species that require expensive ranges ; they are also crucial for smaller animals and plants, acting as ecological connectors to move between isolated habitat fragments. Additionally wildlife corridors are designed to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. In Alberta, Canada , overpasses have been constructed to keep animals off

600-631: The first Eco-Link deemed a success for Singaporean wildlife, the country has decided to build a second Eco-Link structure, known as the Mandai Wildlife Bridge , over Mandai Lake Road. Located close to the Singapore Zoo as well as being a part of the wider Mandai Wildlife Reserve, construction works commenced in June 2017, and the bridge opened on 6 December 2019. The bridge is also much longer at 140 metres (460 ft) and connects

630-704: The first to define the concept of wildlife corridors, developing a model that emphasized the corridors' role in facilitating movement unrestricted by the end of native vegetation or intermediate target patches of habitat. Wildlife corridors also have significant indirect effects on plant populations by increasing pollen and seed dispersal through animals movement, of various species between isolated habitat patches. Corridors must be large enough to support minimum critical populations, reduce migration barriers, and maximize connectivity between populations. Wildlife corridors may also include aquatic habitats often referred to as riparian ribbons , ) and are typically found in

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660-591: The form of wildlife crossings , such an underpasses or overpasses that allow animals to cross man-made structures like roads, helping to reduce human-wildlife conflict , such as roadkill . Observations that underpasses tend to be more than overpasses as many animals are too timid to cross over a bridge in front of traffic and prefer the cover of an underpass. Researchers use mark-recapture techniques and hair snares to assess genetic flow and observe how wildlife utilizes corridors. Marking and recapturing animals helps track individual movement. Genetic testing

690-412: The form of rivers and streams. Terrestrial corridors take the form of wooded strips connecting forested areas or an urban hedgerows. Most species can be categorized into one of two groups: passage users and corridor dwellers . Passage users occupy corridors for brief periods. These animals use corridors for such events as seasonal migration , juvenile dispersal or moving between different parts of

720-716: The largest increase within the corridor-connected patch of land. In Florida June 2021, the Florida Wildlife Corridor act was passed, securing a statewide network of nearly 18 million acres of connected ecosystems. Starting from the Alabama state line, through the Florida panhandle and all the way to the Florida Keys. Containing state parks, national forests, and wildlife management areas supporting wildlife and human occupation. The positive effects on

750-464: The other risked being killed by oncoming cars that often could not stop in time. For example, between 1994 and 2014, an average of two Sunda pangolins per year were accidentally killed in this manner. The Sunda pangolin is a critically endangered species within Singapore with possibly as few as 75 left in the country around the 2000s. The barrier to movement between the two reserves also inhibited seed dispersal, reducing plant biodiversity, and reduced

780-505: The overall effectiveness of a corridor depends more on its design that its width. The following are three main categories of corridor widths: Habitat corridors can also be classified based on their continuity. Continuous corridors are uninterrupted strips of habitat,, while " stepping stone " corridors consist of small, separate patches of suitable habitat. However, stepping-stone corridors are more vulnerable to edge effects , which can reduce their effectiveness. Corridors can also take

810-421: The rates of transfer and interbreeding in vole populations. A control population in which voles were confined to their core habitat with no corridor was compared to a treatment population in their core habitat with passages that they use to move to other regions. Females typically stayed and mated within their founder population , but the rate of transfer through corridors in the males was very high. In 2001,

840-619: The re-establishment of populations that may have been reduced or wiped out due to random events like fires or disease. They can also mitigate some of the severe impacts of habitat fragmentation , a result of urbanization that divides habitat areas and restricts animal movement. Habitat fragmentation from human development poses an increasing threat to biodiversity , and habitat corridors help to reduce its harmful effects. Corridors aside from their benefit to vulnerable wildlife populations can conflict with communities surrounding them when human-wildlife conflicts are involved. In other communities

870-632: The vegetated areas of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve on either side of the road. Wildlife corridor A wildlife corridor , also known as a habitat corridor , or green corridor, is an designated area that connects wildlife populations that have been separated by human activities or structures, such as development, roads, or land clearings. These corridors enable movement of individuals between populations, which helps to prevent negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity , often caused by genetic drift , that can occur in isolated populations. Additionally, corridors support

900-604: Was eliminated from Bukit Timah in 1987. In 2021, a single langur was seen near Bukit Timah and might have used the Eco-Link to get there. Authorities also hope that the Malayan colugo and red-cheeked flying squirrel will begin using the Eco-Link once the trees mature. In 2015, the National Parks Board began providing guided walking tours of the Eco-Link. The walks continued through 2016 but were subsequently suspended to avoid potential disturbance to animals using

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