THE construction of Shenzhen’s first wildlife crossing in Nan’ao of Dapeng Peninsula in the eastern part of the city has been completed, according to the Dapeng New Area Urban Administration Bureau.

The concrete structure over Pingxi Road is located between Qiniang Mountain, Shenzhen’s second-highest peak, and Paiya Mountain, the city’s fifth-highest peak, in the north of Nan’ao. It is designed to provide a semi-natural corridor so that animals can safely cross without endangering themselves and motorists.

“We chose the location because it has the shortest distance between the two mountains and the geology here is suitable for the construction,” said Lin Yonghua, director of the bureau’s project department.

The crossing spans 60 meters and is 50 meters wide. In addition to the corridor, the whole project, covering a total of 15,000 square meters, also included recovery works of the surrounding ecological environment.

Moreover, sound insulation, shading and shock absorption technologies were also adopted to create a more natural environment for animals.

Walls have also been built to guide animals to use the corridor. Furthermore, there is a culvert for reptiles to cross the road.

Plant specialists had been invited to investigate the area in order to create the best environment for animals.

“Wild animals are very sensitive to the environment. So we have to ensure that the environment we create is almost the same as the original one,” said Lin.

An engineer of the project said that the water from Changkeng Reservoir will be diverted into a pond built at the area and form a wetland.

In May last year, Dapeng urban administration bureau carried out a study on the construction of an ecological corridor and monitored the mountainous area and main roads for a month.

Twenty-four infrared trigger monitors were installed in the mountainous area and a total of 327 photos and 81 videos were recorded. In particular, the study recorded 15 species of wild animals, including a hog-nosed badger that was seen for the first time in Shenzhen.

Meanwhile, the bureau conducted nine surveys of wildlife deaths on five roads on the peninsula, recording 383 road fatalities involving more than 40 species of wild animals. Among the fatalities were 281 amphibians of 12 species, 85 reptiles of 21 species, three birds of three species and 14 mammals of four species.

A survey conducted by relevant institutions in 2018 further showed that roads would do harm to wild animals.

After conducting relevant investigations, the bureau finally decided on the location of the corridor, which is said to be one of the 20 important key ecological sites in the city.

More than 77 percent of land in Dapeng is covered by forest and the peninsula is home to 70 percent of Shenzhen’s wild plant species and 26 percent of Guangdong’s.  (Wang Jingli)