Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure ISSN:2288-8527(Online) 응용생태공학회 논문집

In order to prevent the fragmentation of animal habitat due to road construction, the most widely applied solution is building animal passes worldwide. In Korea, animal passes were introduced in the early 2000s, and through trial and error, the national guidelines for them and their design standards were published in 2010. These were criticized by politicians because of their relative inefficiency considering their high construction cost and their lack of animal usage. This study investigated the extent to which animals used the facilities. For this study, two types of animal passes, eco-bridges and ecoducts, were considered and the test sites were chosen from the Baekdu Mountains. The animal usage data was captured using infra-red CCTV cameras. The results showed that various types of animals used eco-bridges and ecoducts. Interestingly various types of birds were captured by cameras and endangered animals were also in them. The season, weather, and their surrounded vegetation also had effects on their usages. The infrared CCTV allowed detailed captures of animals but the electricity shortage was one disadvantage. During the last decades, a number of eco-bridges were constructed throughout the country and now we need to focus on their monitoring and maintenance for their successful efficiency and application.