Roads, railways and other linear infrastructure are often filters or barriers to the movement of wildlife. Wildlife crossing structures (underpasses and overpasses) improve traffic safety and contribute to the conservation of biodiversity by allowing animals to move safely across roads, thereby reducing the risk of wildlife‐vehicle collision. This connectivity between populations on opposite sides of the road allows animals to access resources and mates and facilitates gene flow, thereby improving the viability of wildlife populations. The effectiveness of crossing structures is significantly enhanced when combined with fences, and both measures are usually best implemented together.
Follow a logical sequence of steps to implement an effective mitigation strategy.
Wildlife crossing structures are diverse in their design, shape and size; and they must be fully described in plans and reports to avoid confusion.
Multi‐use structures are a potentially effective approach to increase the permeability of roads for wildlife.
The selection of structure type depends on the goals of mitigation, target species and engineering constraints.
The detailed design of crossing structures is critical to success.
The location and spacing of crossing structures should be guided by the ecological and biological needs of the target species.
Maintenance, monitoring and adaptive management of crossing structures are needed to assure success.
Alternatives to wildlife crossing structures are more appropriate in some locations and situations.
Wildlife crossing structures should be constructed when impacts cannot be avoided or minimised. There is a wide diversity in the type of wildlife crossing structures available. Selecting the appropriate design depends on the impacts to be mitigated, the target species, engineering and other location‐related constraints and traffic safety considerations. In addition, effectiveness can be maximised by addressing a number of design, monitoring and maintenance issues.
Wildlife Crossing Structures
An Effective Strategy to Restore or Maintain Wildlife Connectivity Across Roads
Handbook of Road Ecology ; 172-183
2015-04-01
12 pages
Aufsatz/Kapitel (Buch)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Impact of Wildlife Crossing Structures on Wildlife–Vehicle Collisions
Transportation Research Record | 2022
|Recreational Co‐Use of Wildlife Crossing Structures
Wiley | 2015
|Predator‐Prey Interactions at Wildlife Crossing Structures
Wiley | 2015
|Monitoring wildlife crossing structures along highways in Changbai Mountain, China
Online Contents | 2017
|