NEW DELHI: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has invested around Rs 19,700 crore in wildlife mitigation infrastructure and environmental protection measures across various National Highway projects over the past five years.
The measures aim to address habitat fragmentation, barriers to wildlife movement and wildlife-vehicle collisions while ensuring the safe movement of traffic.
According to a document titled “Wildlife Mitigation Measures & Structures”, released by Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, more than 2,150 wildlife mitigation structures have been constructed or proposed along National Highways across the country.
The document provides a framework for wildlife mitigation planning based on the ecological sensitivity of project corridors, wildlife movement patterns and technical feasibility. It covers structural measures such as underpasses, overpasses, culverts and canopy crossings, as well as non-structural measures including signage, fencing and speed regulation.
Of the total investment, around Rs 4,600 crore has been spent on animal underpasses, Rs 650 crore on animal overpasses, Rs 8,300 crore on viaducts, Rs 2,800 crore on tunnels, Rs 2,500 crore on major bridges and Rs 500 crore on minor bridges.
The structures include animal underpasses, bridge-integrated crossings, culverts designed for faunal movement, canopy crossings and other specialised structures to facilitate safe wildlife movement and maintain connectivity between habitats.
NHAI has also implemented non-structural measures including noise barriers, reptile crossings, rainwater harvesting and other wildlife management initiatives.
Guide fencing and noise barriers have been established along more than 300 km of National Highway alignments to guide wildlife towards designated crossing structures and reduce animal-vehicle conflicts.
NHAI has also introduced monitoring mechanisms, including camera trapping, to assess wildlife movement patterns and periodically evaluate mitigation measures. Wildlife-vehicle collision hotspots have been identified, with speed-regulation boards and signage installed to reduce risks to wildlife and highway users.
The document was released during National Wildlife Week, observed from October 2 to 8, 2026, in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat.