When humans build into areas where animals thrive there is inevitably an increase in harm done to the local population, but this harm can be managed and reduced in multiple ways depending on where the development is. In the Amazon they are installing bridges for monkeys and other animals to safely cross over the road instead of trying to run across the roadway. These bridges aren’t a new idea, they are plentiful in Costa Rica for example, so it’s easy to demonstrate how effective they are. That being said, local wildlife have their presences for style of bridge and locations so it’s vitally important to figure out the best bridge design and location. In Brazil they have now created a standard design that proves to be very effective in the country. With the standard approach it should be easier and cheaper to put up more bridges.
The bridges are part of a program involving Projeto Reconecta and the municipal government, along with local organizations and business owners who are eager to conserve the unique biodiversity of their town and promote ecotourism, but were alarmed by the growing number of wildlife-vehicle collisions.
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After years of working along Brazilian highways, the biologist had always sought a solution that was simple, low-cost and durable. The current bridge features a multilayer design that accommodates primates with different modes of locomotion — from species that rely on their prehensile tails to move through the canopy to brachiating species such as spider monkeys, which swing using their arms, both of which are common in the Amazon, as well as species that simply walk across the network of crossed ropes. It is worth noting that other small terrestrial mammals, including opossums, sloths and mouse opossums, have also been recorded using the bridges.
