Year after year, marion damm and her family have carried more than 2,500 amphibians across the strait near busendorf in itz-grund. Every spring she drove for weeks every morning and evening from her home in neudorf near ebensfeld towards busendorf and helped the endangered animals along a mobile amphibian fence on their annual migration to the spawning waters. Since this year, the new amphibian guidance system installed by the district of bamberg as part of the road rehabilitation work on the BA 42 district road has taken the onerous work off her hands.
During an evening inspection, the nature conservationist and bernhard struck from the lower nature conservation authority in the bamberg district office determined that the amphibian tunnels and the guidance system are providing reliable service and that the majority of the terrestrial frogs, grass frogs and newts are safely reaching their spawning waters on the other side of the road. The installation of a guidance system on both sides of the trenches will also make it less dangerous for the animals to move backwards.
The permanently installed amphibian guidance systems – in the district of bamberg, there has been one near seigendorf since 2016, in addition to the one in busendorf, according to the information from the district administration office – not only mean an increase in the survival chances of the endangered amphibian species. They are also a good investment in the safety of the volunteer amphibian caretakers who travel along the roads during the hours of darkness, as well as road traffic in the countryside.
The exemplary cooperation between the district’s civil engineering department and the environmental protection department forms the basis for permanently improving amphibian protection and traffic safety in the district, according to the press release.
The costs for the amphibian guidance system amounted to about 59,000 euros, according to the district office, and half of it was demanded by the government of upper franconia from nature conservation funds, the other half was taken over by the district of bamberg. The entire tree removal project (including the amphibian tunnel) cost around 330,000 euros. Since the migration of frogs, frogs and newts has already begun, the lower nature conservation authority asks the motorists, still in the morning and evening hours for increased attention along the migration routes of amphibians, because the small animals look like lumps of earth on the road and are therefore easily overlooked.