Research to support the making of nature conservation policy is often hampered by the lack of adequate impact assessment relations. This is illustrated by the fragmentation impacts of highways, which can be defined as the combined effect of habitat destruction, disturbance, barrier action and fauna casualties. The article describes the measures taken on the Dutch highway network to mitigate negative effects on the population of several mammal species. To overcome problems related to the availability of adequate data, it was attempted to estimate the sensitivity of meadow birds to disturbance from traffic noise, based on birds' life history traits. Dutch policy to compensate for damage is also discussed. The measures taken to compensate for road impacts involve procuring new areas for nature conservation, or improving the quality of habitats. Some principles for implementing compensatory measures are described.
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