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Sustainable Solutions for Wildlife Conservation on Highways

Explore effective mitigation measures to reduce wildlife mortality, habitat fragmentation, and other impacts of highways. Discover strategies to enhance wildlife crossings and preserve genetic diversity while considering changing ecosystems. Learn about successful and unsuccessful methods, including modifying driver and animal behavior.

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Sustainable Solutions for Wildlife Conservation on Highways

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  1. Mitigation Measures for Highway Impacts to Wildlife Amanda Hardy ahardy@coe.montana.edu *modified by Sandra Jacobson for Innovative Approaches to Wildlife and Highway Interactions Shortcourse NCTC 2008

  2. Identify the Problem • Mortality • Loss of habitat connectivity • Daily or seasonal habitat needs • Genetic diversity • Loss of habitat • Pollution impacts • Disturbance • Associated Linear Infrastructure • Invasive species

  3. Mitigation Triggers • Safety concerns • Sensitive or endangered species • Low population survival probability • Mass mortality • Public interest

  4. Ways to define what “works” • “Effectiveness” may be defined as: • Reduced animal-vehicle collisions (AVCs) • Number of crossings by target species • Adequate number of crossings (how many?) • Connectivity maintained to sustain populations, communities, ecosystem functions • Measures of effectiveness may be: • Specific goals (e.g. 50% reduction in AVCs, cost-benefit ratio threshold >1)

  5. Effective Mitigation Measures • Most effective for reducing mortality and maintaining habitat permeability is a combination of fencing, crossing structure and escape structure • Banff: • Ungulate-vehicle collisions reduced by 96% • All animal-vehicle collisions by 80% • Wildlife use of crossings increases over time

  6. More Information Needed to Determine Effectiveness • Herd reductions • Roadside clearing • Signs • Education • At-grade crossings • In-vehicle warning systems • Crossing structures for some objectives such as genetic diversity or for low mobility species

  7. Methods with Limited Demonstrated ‘Effectiveness’ • Lighting • Intercept feeding • Repellents

  8. Ineffective Methods • Reflectors • Deer whistles • Flagging signs

  9. Ecosystems are dynamic and constantly changing How mitigation performs over the long-term depends on accommodating changes in: Wildlife distributions, abundance and behaviors; Global warming effects; Climate change

  10. General Mitigation Approaches • Avoid roading good habitat • “Ausbau über Neubau!” • Reduce (over-) populations • Modify • Driver behavior • Animal behavior

  11. Modifying Driver Behavior • Signs: standard, enhanced, limited use (seasonal), real-time detection/warning activation • Reduced speed limits • In-vehicle warnings • Increased visibility • Education

  12. Modifying Animal Behavior • Two approaches: • Sensory & physical control

  13. Modifying Animal Behavior • Sensory control • Reflectors • Flagging • Whistles • Repellents • Intercept feeding • Road salt alternatives

  14. Modifying Animal Behavior Physical control • Fencing with: • Under- & overpasses • At-grade crossings Photos: Anthony Clevenger

  15. Steeper than necessary cut slopes “Elk rock” @ $45 per linear foot

  16. Florida • Tonto NF, AZ • Banff • Banff NP, Canada Photos: Anthony Clevenger

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