Plans to reduce the number of animals killed on Scotland's roads have been unveiled.

Under proposals announced by Environment Minister Sarah Boyack, rope bridges could be created for squirrels and underpasses provided for other animals.

The Trunk Road Biodiversity Action Plan sets out a series of objectives designed to safeguard wildlife living alongside Scotland's 3400km trunk road network.

The plan includes:

• Creating areas of worm rich pasture on one side of a road to discourage badgers from crossing to the other
  
  
• Provide underpasses for otters and other animals
  
  
• Creating escape routes to allow animals to climb out of steep-sided ditches or gullies
  
  
• Building rope bridges to allow squirrels to cross roads safely
  
  
• The use of reflector fencing to deter deer
  
  
• Incorporating crevices and boxes into new bridges to encourage bats
  
  
• Careful timing of maintenance to benefit wild flowers

Ms Boyack said that although some of the ideas may sound far-fetched, they were all based on existing practice.

"Biodiversity is the variety of life. If we allow this variety to decline our natural heritage and quality of life will also decline.

"We would lose a major part of our identity and a primary reason why people enjoy living, working and visiting Scotland.

"Protecting Scottish biodiversity must become an integral part of all our daily lives and in particular the work we carry out.

"The trunk road network represents a considerable land holding. As one would expect, it reaches most areas of Scotland and is an important part of our tourism asset.

"It follows, then, that those who manage the trunk road network should have as one of their objectives the protection of natural heritage and Scottish biodiversity.

"By protecting biodiversity on the network we are helping to protect Scottish biodiversity as a whole, contributing to the quality of life in Scotland and ultimately the industries based on this quality."