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How Effective Is Road Mitigation at Reducing Road-Kill? A Meta-Analysis
Trina Rytwinski1, Kylie Soanes2, Jochen A G Jaeger3
1Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ontario, Canada.
Plos One
|November 22, 2016
Summary
Road mitigation measures reduce wildlife road-kill by 40%. Fences are most effective, reducing large mammal road-kill by 83%, while inexpensive measures like reflectors show minimal impact and require further testing.
Area of Science:
- Wildlife ecology
- Transportation ecology
- Conservation biology
Background:
- Road traffic is a major cause of wildlife mortality globally.
- Over forty road mitigation measures exist, but their effectiveness and cost-efficiency are poorly understood.
- Road planners lack clear guidance on selecting the most effective wildlife road-kill reduction strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of various road mitigation measures in reducing wildlife road-kill.
- To compare the cost-effectiveness of different mitigation strategies, particularly for large mammals.
- To identify research gaps and recommend improved study designs for future mitigation evaluations.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of 50 studies quantifying the relationship between road-kill and mitigation measures.
- Comparison of road-kill reduction percentages across different mitigation types (fences, crossing structures, detection systems, reflectors).
- Analysis of effectiveness based on measure cost and target species (large mammals).
Main Results:
- Overall, mitigation measures reduced road-kill by 40%.
- Fences, with or without crossing structures, reduced road-kill by 54%.
- Expensive measures, like fencing combined with crossing structures, significantly reduced large mammal road-kill (83%) compared to inexpensive ones (e.g., wildlife reflectors: 1%). Crossing structures alone showed no significant effect without fencing.
Conclusions:
- Fencing is a highly effective measure for reducing wildlife road-kill, especially for large mammals.
- Inexpensive measures like wildlife reflectors should be used cautiously and validated with rigorous experimental designs.
- More research is needed on less common mitigation strategies and the specific attributes influencing the effectiveness of structures and fences. Improved study designs, including longer-term data collection (minimum four years) and control groups, are recommended.
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