The huge impact on wildlife of the humble fence

Study’s author says some species are ‘winners’ and others are ‘losers’ in fenced world, writes Rory Sulivan

A metal fence under construction on the border between Germany and Poland on 24 September, 2020. (EPA)

Fences have a large and often overlooked impact on the world’s ecosystems, a new study has suggested.

In a paper published by the journal BioScience, a global team of researchers argue that fences can greatly affect certain species and should therefore be the subject of further research to help to mitigate against “one of humankind's most pervasive alterations of our planet”.

"To put it simply, in a fenced world, there are winners and there are losers," the study’s authors write.