Guest post from EPC Environmental Consultancy
Check out this overview of a green infrastructure project in Romania, written by Alexandra Ion from EPC Consultanta de mediu SRL. EPC Consultanta de mediu SRL is a corporate member of IAIA.
As Europe accelerates infrastructure development, the challenge lies not only in building connectivity for people, but also preserving it for nature. The, a strategic transport link between Transylvania (central Romania) and Moldova, exemplifies how engineering can evolve hand-in-hand with environmental responsibility. EPC Environmental Consultancy is proud to be at the forefront of this transformative project, setting new standards for integrating biodiversity safeguards into large-scale infrastructure.
Traversing the biodiverse heart of the Carpathians, the motorway cuts through some of Romania’s most ecologically sensitive landscapes—home to large carnivores, rare bird species, and the recently reintroduced European bison. Without careful planning, such projects risk fragmenting critical habitats and severing wildlife migration routes. But through creative planning and science-driven design, fragmentation has been replaced with a blueprint for reconnection.
Following detailed assessments of habitat permeability and fragmentation patterns, EPC and its partners helped identify a comprehensive suite of nature-based solutions. The motorway corridor now includes:
- 4 major ecoducts
- 4 wildlife overpasses
- 19 wildlife underpasses
- Over 53 km of bridges and viaducts
- More than 8 km of tunnels
- 4 additional ecoducts on existing national roads
This design is the product of over a decade of local wildlife monitoring, coordinated with national authorities, conservation groups, and scientific experts. Each ecological crossing was strategically positioned to maximize usage by local fauna, backed by GPS tracking, camera traps, and field surveys. From wolves and bears to lynx and bison, species movements were central to this planning.
This project embodies EPC’s mission: to embed ecological intelligence into infrastructure, ensuring that development does not come at the cost of biodiversity.
At IAIA25 in Bologna this past May, EPC showcased how robust ecological data, long-term monitoring, and interdisciplinary collaboration can drive meaningful change—from reducing bat mortality by over 80% in wind farms, to restoring landscape connectivity through ecoducts and underpasses along major motorways in the Carpathians. Check out the IAIA25 proceedings to find more session reports and presentations on topics just like this.
