Wildlife friendly roads: the impacts of roads on wildlife in urban areas and potential remedies

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Abstract

Roads are one of the most important factors affecting the ability of wildlife to live and move within an urban area. Roads physically replace wildlife habitat and often reduce habitat quality nearby, fragment the remaining habitat, and cause increased mortality through vehicle collisions. Much ecological research on roads has focused on whether animals are successfully crossing roads, or if the road is a barrier to wildlife movement, gene flow, or functional connectivity. Roads can alter survival and reproduction for wildlife, even among species such as birds that cross roads easily. Here we examine the suite of potential impacts of roads on wildlife, but we focus particularly on urban settings. We report on studies, both in the literature and from our own experience, that have addressed wildlife and roads in urban landscapes. Although road ecology is a growing field of study, relatively little of this research, and relatively few mitigation projects, have been done in urban landscapes. We also draw from the available science on road impacts in rural areas when urban case studies have not fully addressed key topics.

Publication type Book chapter
Publication Subtype Book Chapter
Title Wildlife friendly roads: the impacts of roads on wildlife in urban areas and potential remedies
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4899-7500-3_15
Year Published 2014
Language English
Publisher Springer
Contributing office(s) Western Ecological Research Center
Description 38 p.
Larger Work Type Book
Larger Work Title Urban Wildlife Conservation
First page 323
Last page 360
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
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