By The European Times | Created at 2026-10-12 16:21:51 | Updated at 2026-10-12 17:40:49
1 hour ago
They aren’t made of asphalt, have no traffic lights, and no cars drive on them.
Yet, these unusual “highways” are already saving thousands of lives.
In the Brazilian Amazon, conservationists have built rope bridges high up in the trees, allowing monkeys, sloths, and other jungle inhabitants to safely cross over the roads.
The results are impressive, notes *The Guardian*.
Just eight such structures near the city of Alta Floresta, in the northern part of Mato Grosso state, have facilitated approximately 15,000 wildlife crossings over a 15-month period. During that same time, not a single case of roadkill was recorded on this stretch of road.
The bridges, construction of which began in 2024, connect forest areas that had been fragmented by roads.
The concept is simple.
For humans, a road represents a connection between two places. For animals living high in the tree canopy, however, it often presents a nearly impassable chasm.
When the forest ends and asphalt appears before them, primates must either descend to the ground or seek an alternative route. It is precisely then that many of them end up being struck by vehicles.
Cameras Monitor Every Crossing
Special cameras have been installed on the rope bridges.
One camera monitors the crossing itself, while another records animals that approach the structure but decide not to use it. This allows scientists to understand not only which species adopt the new “airways” but also how long it takes them to get used to them.
The travelers captured on camera include black-faced spider monkeys, red howler monkeys, capuchins, marmosets, and the rare Alta Floresta titi monkey. The latter species was only described by science in 2019 and was declared critically endangered shortly thereafter.
It turns out that the animals do not always embrace these innovations immediately.
Capuchins, for instance, waited about seven months before using one of the bridges for the first time.
A simple solution to a massive problem
The project is led by biologist Fernanda Abra, founder of the Reconecta initiative and a researcher affiliated with the Smithsonian.
The team sought a solution that was cost-effective, sustainable, and suitable for various primate species.
That is why the bridges feature multiple layers of ropes. Some animals walk along them, others move using their tails, while spider monkeys literally swing by their arms between the different sections of the structure.
The bridges have proven useful for other forest animals as well; sloths and opossums have also been caught on camera.
Nine million mammals die on the roads. The problem is far from minor.
Brazil boasts one of the planet’s richest levels of biodiversity while simultaneously possessing one of the world’s largest road networks. According to a study cited in the article, nearly 9 million mammals die on Brazilian roads each year.
The consequences are particularly severe for rare species.
When a road cuts through a forest, distinct populations can become isolated from one another. This reduces genetic diversity and increases the risk of extinction.
The loss of primates also has repercussions for the forest itself. Many of them disperse seeds and play a role in the natural regeneration of vegetation. When they disappear, the entire ecological network begins to change.
The project is expanding. The initiative is already growing.
In 2021, 32 similar bridges were built over the BR-174 highway in the Amazon in collaboration with the local Waimiri-Atroari people. Cameras there have recorded approximately 1,250 primate crossings in recent years.
New structures are planned for other regions of Brazil, including the Pantanal and the Atlantic Forest, as well as projects in Suriname.
Illustrative photo: pexels-oyeyogi-22046657
