Best‐practice manuals in road ecology provide state‐of‐the‐art information on how to avoid, minimise, mitigate and compensate for impacts of roads and traffic and other linear infrastructure on animals, plants and natural habitats. The first relevant guidelines appeared in the late 1960s and were comparatively simple documents, oriented at avoiding wildlife‐vehicle collisions. Today's manuals are more detailed (see Sections ‘References’ and Appendix 59.1) and reflect the diversity and complexity of the potential impacts and the range of possible mitigation measures. For maximum effect, best‐practice guidelines and manuals should address or contain the following:
Define the purpose of the guidelines and identify the audience.
Guidelines should be practical, implementable and based on state‐of‐the‐art knowledge.
Describe the negative effects of roads and traffic on wildlife, ecosystems and human safety.
Bring together a multidisciplinary team to write the guidelines and to test the feasibility of the proposed mitigation measures.
Structure the manual to follow the typical stages of road projects.
Describe the range of mitigation measures and identify the preferred option.
Clearly identify mitigation measures that don't work.
Address transport infrastructure in the context of spatial planning.
Describe monitoring techniques and schemes.
Schedule a time frame for revising and updating the manual.
Best‐practice guidelines are critically important as a resource for people who plan, design and manage roads and other linear infrastructure. The preparation and updating of these documents should be seen as an opportunity for collaboration among a diversity of professions to improve the ecological sustainability of roads as well as develop a shared responsibility.
Best‐Practice Guidelines and Manuals
Handbook of Road Ecology ; 479-484
2015-04-01
6 pages
Aufsatz/Kapitel (Buch)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Wiley | 2000
|Online Contents | 2003
BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES ON ROAD SAFETY INSPECTION
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2007
|Abnormal road transports : European best practice guidelines
TIBKAT | 2008
|Online Contents | 1996