ecoduct

From eco- (prefix meaning ‘ecology; the environment’) +‎ (via)duct (“bridge with several spans that carries traffic over a valley or other obstacles”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈiːkəʊdʌkt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈikoʊˌdʌkt/
• Hyphenation: eco‧duct

ecoduct (plural ecoducts)

1. (ecology) A type of wildlife crossing in the form of a bridge or tunnel, usually covered with foliage and turf, which animals may use to cross roads without the risk of being hit by vehicles; a wildlife viaduct. [from late 20th c.]

   Hypernym: wildlife crossing

   Coordinate terms: green bridge, mammal tunnel

   An ecoduct was installed above the road to help wildlife cross safely.

   • 1994, J. P. Knaapen, H. C. van Engen, R. C. van Apeldoorn, P. Schippers, J. Verboom, “Badgers in the Netherlands: Evaluation of Scenarios with Models”, in Job F. Th. Schoute, Peter A. Finke, Frank R. Veeneklaas, Henk P. Wolfert, editors, Scenario Studies for the Rural Environment: Selected and Edited Proceedings of the Symposium Scenario Studies for the Rural Environment, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 12–15 September 1994 (Environment & Policy; 5), Dordrecht, South Holland; Boston, Mass.: Kluwer Academic Publishers, →ISBN, page 552:

     Several measures can be taken to influence the circumstance for the badger in a positive way. Apart from protection and restoration of potential habitats, important measures are: restoration or development of dispersal corridors (woodlots, hedgerows), construction of tunnels or ecoducts for crossing roads, reduction of speed limits, and closure of roads for traffic at night.

   • 1997, G. J. (Hans) Bekker, “Fragmentation and Road-infrastructure in the Netherlands: From History to Future”, in James Randy Williams, John W. Goodrich-Mahoney, Jan R. Wisniewski, Joe Wisniewski, editors, The Sixth International Symposium on Environmental Concerns in Rights-of-way Management, 24–26 February 1997, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, Kidlington, Oxfordshire; New York, N.Y.: Elsevier Science, →ISBN, part VII (Biodiversity), page 364, column 1:

     [S]pecies preferred a particular type of passage: fox and rabbit used the pipes more than the culverts and roe deer, hare and red squirrel were only observed on the ecoduct; […] It appears that an ecoduct with a variety of habitat-types is better for a broader range of species. Design of an ecoduct is important and so is the context, […]

   • 2004, Brian K. Miller, Kenli Schaaf, Robert K. Swihart, Chester L. Arnold, Jr., “Historical and Human Dimensions of Nature-based Planning: Is Time on Our Side?”, in Robert K. Swihart, Jeffrey E. Moore, editors, Conserving Biodiversity in Agricultural Landscapes: Model-based Planning Tools, West Lafayette, Ind.: Purdue University Press, →ISBN, page 231:

     A large budget was reserved for purchasing ground, developing new natural areas, and for making "ecoducts" (wildlife bridges or tunnels) under/over main highways that dissected natural areas.

   • 2025, Nick Thorpe, “On Chicken Mountain”, in Walking Europe’s Last Wilderness: A Journey through the Carpathian Mountains, New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 322:

     Not far from Brănișca [in Romania], an ecoduct crosses the motorway from the Apuseni mountains to the Retezat. Like bears, wolves have been known to travel enormous distances.

• wildlife crossing on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Compare French écoduc, English ecoduct.

• IPA^(key): /ˌeː.koːˈdʏkt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: eco‧duct

ecoduct n (plural ecoducten, diminutive ecoductje n)

1. wildlife crossing bridge (bridge-like structure allowing animals to cross roads)

   Synonym: wildwissel

   Hyponym: cerviduct