Mongolian gazelle entangled in wire on Mongolia–Russia border.Image: G. Sukhchuluun

The world is becoming sadly familiar with sight of thousands of desperate refugees – escaping bombing and violence in countries like Syria – being pressed against border fences erected to separate countries in Europe and further afield. 

Less recognised is the effect these thousands of kilometres of newly-installed border fencing is often having on wildlife. 

But climate change does not recognise borders, and nor do the birds or animals migrating across their territories. A study by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research estimates that between 25,000 and 30,000 kilometres of fences and wallsnow run along the borders of various countries in Europe and Central Asia.

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