The Use of a Camera Trap System for Monitoring the Movement of Forest Animals Through the Wildlife Crossing in Napchanie

The development of road and railway infrastructure leads to landscape fragmentation. Environmental compensation is an important aspect developing communication networks. It can be achieved through designing and constructing green infrastructure that joins habitats separated by human activity. This article describes an attempt to create a system of monitoring forest animals with the use of portable devices (camera traps) in a wildlife crossing located under the line of Expressway Sll near the riverbed of Sama in the Wielkopolska Voivodeship. The crossing for large animals was created there to join habitats located within Poznan city limits with the forest complexes outside of Poznan. The system proposed in this article is intended to evaluate the use of the crossing by animals and to identify behavioural patterns of animals passing through the structure. Authors proved that it is possible to create an economical and efficient monitoring system of forest animals without electrical supply and without any data transmission system. In addition, authors manage to identify some behaviour patterns of migrating forest animals, different of each species. This can be helpful in designing and maintaining wildlife crossings. The system consisted of 4 cameras that monitored the whole crossing; 3 of them were recording videos from the central point while the one was used for control purposes. It was established that using even 1 device is enough to successfully monitor the animals migrating through the crossing. The monitoring process was carried out with the use of HC-SG520 cameras, which allowed to record image after triggering the pyroelectric detector. It was also possible to monitor animal movement in nighttime, thanks to the illumination provided by IR diodes Cameras recorded 30-second videos and saved them on SD cards that were replaced every 21 days. HC-SG520 cameras were selected in the course of tests that involved 2 other types of devices. The efficiency of the equipment used was 82%, only 17% of videos recorded did not feature any migrating animals It was observed that the crossing is used mostly by wild boars, roe deer and deer. Due to the proximity of human settlements, the crossing is used by humans and pets, which can affect the functionality of the structure and the freedom of migration. Most migrations (78%) take place during the night. The behavioural patterns of forest animals identified throughout the study, can be later applied in ways of protecting roads from animal intrusion or can serve as educational material for drivers.