Wildlife crossing structures help animals cross safely under or over roads or other linear infrastructure and hence play an important role in the conservation of biodiversity. Measuring the rate of use by wildlife is an important first step in almost every evaluation of wildlife crossing structures. Unfortunately, the majority of studies of the use of crossing structures by wildlife lack a proper study design which limits the quality or reliability of the findings. The design and methods of each study to evaluate the use of crossing structures must be tailor‐made because of differences among structures in their design, goals, target species, landscape and road conditions.
Identify and describe the target species for the wildlife crossing structure being evaluated.
For each target species, define the intended type and frequency of use.
Design the study to enable a comparison of actual rate of use and minimum expected rate of use.
Use data from control plots to estimate the minimum expected rate of use of a crossing structure.
Select survey methods that monitor multiple species simultaneously and use more than one survey method for each species.
The timing, frequency and duration of the monitoring should allow for rigorous estimates of crossing structure use.
Measure explanatory variables to enable a comprehensive analysis of the monitoring data and comparison of crossing structure functioning.
Thorough analysis, reporting and sharing of data are critical.
Taken individually, each study of the use of crossing structures by wildlife provides an important but basic understanding of their function. Adopting the guidelines presented in this chapter will improve the quality of each monitoring programme as well as permit robust meta‐analyses to optimise design, placement and management of wildlife crossing structures at much broader spatial scales.
Guidelines for Evaluating Use of Wildlife Crossing Structures
Handbook of Road Ecology ; 119-128
2015-04-01
10 pages
Aufsatz/Kapitel (Buch)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Wiley | 2015
|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
|