Ecological corridor – public perception of the term

The aim of the study is to analyze the knowledge the term “ecological corridor”. An pilot inquiry on "ecological corridor" definition and function was conducted. The understanding of the term, as well as, the basic knowledge of ecological corridors functions were tested using the questionnaires given to the group of 63 students representing different academic disciplines (humanities - 22 persons, life sciences - 21 persons and exact sciences - 20 persons). Most of respondents (except from natural sciences students) never heard the term “ecological corridor”. Quite a few participants were not able to give an example of ecological corridor. What is more, humanists frequently pointed that the highway underpasses for wildlife would be a good example of “ecological corridor”. The most frequently indicated function of corridors was “migration of animals and plants”. The results suggest that the knowledge of investigated term is usually very theoretical and quite abstract that was especially apparent within the “naturalists” group.

Alina Gerlée