Context: The National Highways Authority of India, in collaboration with Wildlife Institute of India, has released the report Landscapes Reconnected, documenting active wildlife use of underpasses along the Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor.
About Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor:
What It Is?
- The Delhi–Dehradun Economic Corridor is a major greenfield highway and economic connectivity project designed to improve travel efficiency between Delhi and Dehradun.
- It is also being recognized as an eco-sensitive infrastructure model, integrating wildlife conservation features within highway development.
Located In:
- Stretch: Between Ganeshpur and Asharodi
- Region: Shivalik landscape
Aim:
- To improve connectivity and reduce travel time between Delhi and Dehradun.
- To ensure safe wildlife movement and ecological connectivity.
- To minimize human-wildlife conflict and habitat fragmentation.
Key Features:
- The corridor includes 97 km of wildlife underpasses across a 20-km eco-sensitive stretch, enabling safe animal crossings.
- It features one of Asia’s largest wildlife elevated corridors, built at an average height of 6–7 metres for large mammals such as elephants.
- The project uses camera traps, acoustic recorders, and sound studies to improve corridor effectiveness and guide future noise barriers.
Significance:
- It demonstrates that economic growth and biodiversity protection can coexist through scientific, data-driven planning.
- The corridor supports long-term ecological balance by allowing species movement and reducing roadkill and habitat isolation.
Relevance in UPSC Exam Syllabus
- GS Paper 1 – Geography / Environment
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- Human geography and transport corridors
- Ecologically sensitive regions (Shivaliks)
- GS Paper 3 – Environment / Infrastructure
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- Conservation and biodiversity
- Sustainable infrastructure
- Human-wildlife conflict mitigation
- Environmental impact assessment
