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<p>Green bridges are structures designed to provide wildlife and non-motorised users
with easy and safe crossing of main roads and railways.</p><p> </p><p>In 2015, Natural
England published a review of the literature on green bridges. The review looked at
53 case studies from Europe and North America and found evidence that, in the majority
of cases, green bridges were utilised by wildlife, although an assessment of their
effectiveness in conserving wildlife populations was limited by the lack of long-term
monitoring data. Guidance on the design of green bridges was also published by the
Landscape Institute based on research undertaken by Natural England.</p><p> </p><p>In
2015, the Government published research which included an assessment of the A21 Scotney
Caste Green Bridge, constructed by the then Highways Agency, which found that of all
incidences of bats crossing the road to and from the Scotney Castle Estate, 97 per
cent used the green bridge. At least five bat species were recorded foraging over
the bridge which was also used by deer, badger and breeding dormice.</p><p> </p><p>The
Government will keep the evidence for the effectiveness of these structures under
review as new green bridges are planned and implemented.</p>
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