The experience of planning and operating of motorways in Croatia with a focus on brown bear protection

Bojan Vivoda

September 2018 RIJEKA-ZAGREB MOTORWAY PLC. • established in 1997 as Public Limited Company

• 100% state-owned

• second largest motorway company in Croatia

• operates 187 km of motorways INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS

Since the beginning of the concession:

Ø € 955 mil. in construction and road equipment of motorway

ü Rijeka – Zagreb Motorway: € 815 mil.

ü RI Bypass: € 140 mil.

Ø Approx. € 30 mil. in investment maintenance CONSTRUCTION PHASES

Lenght No Section Profile In use since (km) 1 (Rijeka) Orehovica - Kikovica 10,50 motorway 1971. 7,37 semimotorway 1982. 2 Kikovica - Oštrovica 7,37 motorway 2007. 10,99 semimotorway 1996. 3 Oštrovica - Vrata 1,44 motorway 2007. 4 Vrata - Delnice 8,93 motorway 1996./08. 5 Delnice - Kupjak 7,92 motorway 1997./08. 3,58 semimotorway 2003. 6 Kupjak - Vrbovsko 4,01 motorway 2008. 9,84 motorway 2003./06. 13,86 motorway 2004. 7 Vrbovsko - Bosiljevo 2 8,8 motorway 2007. 8 Čvor Bosiljevo 2 2,92 motorway 2003. 9 Bosiljevo 2 - Vukova Gorica 7,81 motorway 2003. 10 Vukova Gorica - Karlovac 18,16 motorway 2001. 11 Karlovac - Lučko (Zagreb) 39,28 motorway 1972. RIJEKA – ZAGREB MOTORWAY TODAY

MOTORWAY IN FIGURES

• 18 tunnels, in total length of • EuroTAP 2008: Veliki Gložac 13 km Tunnel among for best European • longest – Tuhobić tunnel, in tunnels total length of 2.14 km, at 700 meters above sea level, • EuroTAP 2009: connecting Gorski Kotar and Tuhobić Tunnel awarded as Croatian Littoral regions second best tunnel the Brown Bear on Zagreb - Rijeka Motorway

September 2012 Habitat protection

• Habitat protection by improving spatial permeability of wildlife habitat can be achieved through variety of measures incorporated in highway designs. • Wildlife habitat corridors don't just conserve connectivity they also provide ways to make highways safer for both people and wildlife. • Mitigation measures can be considered from multiple perspectives: 1) Protecting the particular endangered spices 2) Ensuring the acceptance of wildlife by locals and highway users by preventing traffic and other accidents that include wildlife 3) Enabling optimal construction and operating costs 4) Increasing traffic safety 5) Minimizing risks for traffic and accountability for highway operators 6) … Stages of infrastructure development

1. Planning & designing phase • Environmental impact study 2. Constructing phase • On site inspections 3. Operating & maintaining phase • Monitoring (and improvements) • Standardized procedures Many new highways since year 2000 2000 highway Karlovac-Rijeka 68 km 2004 highway Bosiljevo-Split 250 km Do they threaten large carnivores?

100 ¹ km Width Highway section Bosiljevo - Rijeka Object type N (m) Bridge 898 3 Overpass 40 6 Underpass 115 5 Tunnel 10045 12 Viaduct 5869 17 Green bridge 100 1 All objects 17127 44 Section length 68534 (m) Objects width(%) 25,0%

Green bridge Dedin PROBLEMS with man-made structures

► Habitat fragmentation

► Disturbance, polution, ....

► Direct mortality

Communication between stakeholders • Honest and open communication between stakeholders is crucial as well as persistence in seeking the best solutions. • Stakeholders: 1. Government bodies, ministries 2. Owners 3. NGOs 4. Local community 5. Experts 6. Designers 7. Contractors

• During the planning phase it is important to follow the legal procedure of permits obtaining taking into the consideration stakeholders opinions. Environmental Impact Assessment • Environmental Impact Assessment is a process of assessing the acceptability of an intended environmental action and determining the environmental protection measures required to minimize the impact and achieve the highest possible environmental quality assurance. • The assessment procedure shall be carried out at an early stage of the planning process prior to issuing a location permit or other approval for a procedure for which a location permit is not required. • The procedure is systematically regulated and aligned with the relevant EU directives Environmental Impact Assessment

• Environmental Impact Assessment is a process of assessing the acceptability of an intended environmental action and determining the environmental protection measures required to minimize the impact and achieve the highest possible environmental quality assurance. • The assessment procedure shall be carried out at an early stage of the planning process prior to issuing a location permit or other approval for a procedure for which a location permit is not required. • The procedure is systematically regulated and aligned with the relevant EU directives: Council Directive 85/337 / EEC of 27 June 1985 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment, as amended by Council Directive 97/11 / EC of 3 March 1997 and Directive 2003/35 / EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 May 2003. • The list of interventions listed in Annex I, which is an integral part of the Regulation, are the procedures for which the environmental impact assessment procedure is mandatory. In the List of Procedures in Annex II which is an integral part of the Regulation, are the actions for which an assessment is made of the need for environmental impact assessment and for which the Ministry is competent and in the list of interventions in Annex III. which also met a part of the Regulation, are the actions for which an assessment is made of the need for environmental impact assessment and for which is the competent administrative body in the county or in the City of Zagreb. The criteria on the basis of which it is decided to assess the impact of the environmental impact assessment are set out in Annex V, which is an integral part of the Regulation. Environmental Impact Assessment • The assessment procedure is initiated at the written request of the owner/developer, and the content of the request is stipulated in Article 80 of the Environmental Protection Act. The study must assess the impact of planned environmental interventions on the basis of factors that, depending on the action and the characteristics of the environment, condition the distribution, strength and duration of the influence. • The study must contain all the necessary information, documentation, explanations and descriptions in the text and graphic form, the proposal of the acceptability assessment of the project and the environmental measures in relation to the operation and, where appropriate, the environmental monitoring program. The study must be made on the basis of the latest, credible and available data, made by the authorized person - a legal person who has the authority to carry out these tasks, and the cost of the study is borne by the developer. • The impact of the project on the environment, its evaluation and acceptability is evaluated by the commission on the basis of the study. • When a competent authority receives a request for an environmental impact assessment, it shall inform the public thereof. The information contains basic information on the procedure, location, operator, competent body, other participants in the procedure, the manner of conducting the assessment procedure, the manner of public participation and the public concerned, and the manner of notifying the outcome of the procedure. Legal procedure

• Before 2007 preparation of an IAS for mayor infrastructure projects was compulsory prior obtaining building permits, but at that time it was called “requirements of a spatial arrangement”. • IAS exists as an instrument to introduce all requirements and obligations for the investor/owner and contractor regarding environment protection. As a result of an IAS the mitigation plan is prepared and implemented as a part of the highway designs. • The novelty was required mitigation environment plan for the contractors during construction phase that was not compulsory by law but it was required by the construction contract. Levels of mitigation measures

1. Spatial planning of highway alignment considering habitat permeability of area by wildlife corridors modeling (not likely) 2. Designing basic measures or structures (i.e. wire mesh fences) taking into consideration the wildlife species in surrounding (crucial) 3. Designing of major structures as green bridges, long bridges (instead of stone filled abutments) and underpasses (of proper dimension) to mitigate shortcomings of final highway alignment and to improve habitat permeability (likely, but requires a cooperation of designer and wildlife expert to make decision where is insufficient natural over or underpasses) 4. Incorporating new technologies in to the design of highway equipment primary to lower the maintenance costs and to improve the efficiency of all protective measures (highly recommended) 5. Highway operation or maintenance planning based on data collected and considering possible traffic accidents with wildlife (highly recommended) Measures for wildlife protection • The measures for wildlife protection in regards of highway alignment, construction and operating can be categorized as: 1. Spatial planning (incorporating wildlife corridors modeling) 2. Improving habitat permeability measures (construction of green bridges, underpasses) 3. Wildlife deterring measures (wire mesh fences, jump-out ramps, one way doors, etc.) 4. Organizational measures (emergency intervention teams establishing) 5. Indirect mitigation measures (wildlife-proof rubbish beans and containers, etc.) 6. Data collection and analysis – GIS database establishing (number and locations of traffic accidents that include wildlife) Wildlife corridors modeling

1. Estimation of the effects of both natural and anthropogenic landscape characteristics on animal movement • studying movement-based habitat selection by one or more focal species including animal preference for already available crossing structures (e.g. overpasses, green bridges). 2. The results obtained at this stage can then be used to produce a “permeability map” • where each landscape unit (i.e. pixel) is weighted based on its probability to be traversed by animals in motion. • The obtained “permeability map” can then serve as a base layer for animal movement algorithms (e.g. randomised shortest path, least-cost path), to predict landscape regions allowing (corridors) or impeding (impermeable barriers) strategic-movement flow between areas of interest (e.g. two sides of a highway or two protected areas). 3. Intersecting modelled corridors with anthropogenic infrastructures • this approach can further indicate traits along the highway that are more likely to be crossed by animals, thus, highlighting possibly suitable areas for the implementation of future mitigation measures or for the improvement of the already existing ones. Green bridges

• Legal requirements and obligation to prepare environmental impact study (IAS), public hearing and other procedures required for issuing the “location” and building permits where become more strict in Croatia according the new regulation since 2007. • High conscious of environment protection of all stakeholders was newer a question even if the costs of construction of green bridges where not insignificant. • By proper communication between stakeholders construction of the first green bridge “Dedin” in Croatia finished 1995 as a successful story. After that ten more green bridges were constructed on the highway towards Dalmatia. Green bridges

• Based on the correct analysis of known data about the wildlife fatalities it is possible to target mitigation measures in the future to reduce the incidence of animal entry into the fenced area of the corridor of the motorway and avoidance of traffic accidents. • Traffic collisions of vehicles and wildlife on the motorway are quite frequent considering the existing wire mesh fence and number of crossings.

Planning the route

The impact of entire highway length has to be evaluated - Each object that animals can get used to cross

Methodology for highway permeability evaluation

• Object dimensions (passage width and height, m)

• Ground material (gravel, soil, asphalt, grass, etc.)

• Slope on sides (degrees)

• Surrounding area (vegetation type and density)

• Human presence (distance to the nearest house)

• Ecological importance (object situation in habitat and distance to the nearest highway object

• Score in range 1-10

• Recommendations for improvements

N

100 0 100 Kilometers

Implementation of measures

Rasnica Ivačeno brdo

Lendići Medina gora

Varošina

Osmakovac Rošca

Konšćica Vrankovića ograda Srednja gora Equipment and procedures a) Prevention, improvement of the wire fence; b) Traffic Management Plan for incidental situation c) Communication path for the competent services d) Informing the public about the dangers

500 476

363 378 375 305 250

125 102 52 72 34 39 25 25 48 48 0 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS ANIMAL HITS The percentage of wildlife casualties on Rupa-Rijeka-Zagreb in 2013 and 2014 Real life examples

THE GAME PROTECTION PROGRAM

Based on the Hunting Act The document that addresses issues of wild animals as well as other animals that are found in the area of the motorway. Allows management of the wildlife in the area of the highway corridor . Allows (legally) removal of wildlife from the corridor of the motorway. LIFE DINALP BEAR PROJECT

On 25th March 2014 the EU Commission approved co-financing of international project "Population management and protection of brown bears in the northern Dinarides and Alps„ - LIFE DINALP BEAR

The total value of the project is 5.987.478€ European Commission will provide 4.149.202 €

Nine partners participate in LIFE DINALP BEAR from Slovenia, Croatia, Italy and Austria. Lead partner on the project is Slovenia Forest Service, Ljubljana Rijeka-Zagreb Motorway is responsible for the implementation of concrete actions in Croatia aimed at conservation of brown bear:

Measures involve placing 60 km of electric fence, 6 jump-out ramps, 30 single exit animal doors, 25 garbage bins etc.

The Motorway emergency team will be established to handle situations when animals will occur on the motorway Elektric fence along to the wire mesh 30 km x 2 from Karlovac to Rijeka

Jednosmjerna vrata za One-way door Nizlaz = 10 sa autoceste N=20

Conclusion

Connectivity is an important landscape property that should be protected and enhanced to counterbalance human- related habitat loss and fragmentation. Linear infrastructures such as roads and railways are among the major causes of habitat fragmentation.

Nevertheless, the implementation of mitigation measures (e.g. green bridges) could alleviate the fragmenting effects of road infrastructures. However, both the design and the location of mitigation measures would substantially benefit from solid science-based insights, aimed at achieving clearly defined objectives (e.g. reducing collisions between wildlife and human vehicles). Conclusion

At any time it is possible to implement any necessary protective measure but if it’s taken into the consideration during planning and design phase their successful implementation is much more likely.

To minimize the undesirable impacts of the linear infrastructure on habitat the honest and open communication between stakeholders is crucial as well as persistence in seeking the best solutions. Thank you for your attention!