Interview with Heinrich Reck (Institute for Natural Resource Conservation - Germany)
IENE 2016 conference (Lyon,France)

Is the expanse of roadside habitats larger than that of nature reserves? Which European target species are already dependent on verges? Are there more native shrub and tree species at roadsides than in working forests? Are road networks already the best part of existing ecological corridors? How could the vast amount of verges play part in the mitigation of barrier effects or as element of the European green infrastructure? What could be the benefits for plants, insects, reptiles, mammals and even people? Such questions arise when looking at modern European landscapes and their future development. The working groups around Klaus Richter and Heinrich Reck will present answers from a Central European viewpoint and provide clues to draw practical conclusions by e.g. analyzing species composition at common and experimentally designed roadsides and reference habitats or regarding roadside behaviour and roadkill of threatened species.