Before the fixed link is built, animal life on land will be mapped so that the species living close to the impending access facilities can be protected. This will require a survey of existing knowledge of the distribution of species combined with comprehensive new field studies. These will establish exactly which species are present and where.

What the studies will cover
The studies will focus particularly on protected species, i.e. species covered by the EU Habitat Directive. Among these protected species are the sand lizard, the moor frog, the great crested newt, and all species of bat.

Femern A/S will map the distribution of listed and rare species including those on the Red List of species at risk of extinction. This includes a long list of insects, such as butterflies, grasshoppers and ground beetles, as well as fungi, some spiders and mammals. The presence of such species in an area often indicates that there are special natural values here that are important to protect and conserve.

Thorough field studies
Field studies will take place within a survey corridor broad enough to take account of the fact that species move around in the landscape and are found in different areas depending on the season.

The movement patterns and various seasonal rhythms of the species mean that biologists must study the areas around the access facilities several times. For instance, amphibians, dragonflies, and butterflies will be mapped at different times in the same areas.

Species mapped
The surveys will cover many different areas. Amphibians and dragonflies will be sought in and around waterholes, while we will seek butterflies in woods and dry areas with plenty of wild flowers, and listen at night for bats along hedgerows and near ponds surrounded by woods.