Handbook of Road Ecology

About this book

This authoritative volume brings together some of the world's leading researchers, academics, practitioners and transportation agency personnel to present the current status of the ecological sustainability of the linear infrastructure – primarily road, rail and utility easements – that dissect and fragment landscapes globally. It outlines the potential impacts, demonstrates how this infrastructure is being improved, and how broad ecological principles are applied to mitigate the impact of road networks on wildlife.

Research and monitoring is an important aspect of road ecology, encompassing all phases of a transportation project. Handbook of Road Ecology covers research and monitoring to span the entire project continuum – starting with planning and design, through construction and into maintenance and management. It focuses on impacts and solutions for species groups and specific regions, with particular emphasis on the unique challenges facing Asia, South America and Africa.

Handbook of Road Ecology offers a comprehensive summary of approximately 30 years of global efforts to quantify the impacts of roads and traffic and implement effective mitigation. As such, it is essential reading for those involved in the planning, design, assessment and construction of new roads; the management and maintenance of existing roads; and the modifying or retrofitting of existing roads and problem locations. Handbook of Road Ecology is an accessible resource for both developed and developing countries, including government transportation agencies, Government environmental/conservation agencies, NGOs, and road funding and donor organisations.

Please note: this book was previously announced with the title Ecology of Roads: A Practitioner's Guide to Impacts and Mitigation

Contents

Notes on contributors   ix
Foreword / Richard T. T. Forman   xx
Preface   xxii
About the companion website   xxiv

1. The ecological effects of linear infrastructure and traffic: Challenges and opportunities of rapid global growth / Rodney van der Ree, Daniel J. Smith and Clara Grilo   1
2. Bad roads, good roads / William F. Laurance   10
3. Why keep areas road-free? The importance of roadless areas / Nuria Selva, Adam Switalski, Stefan Kreft and Pierre L. Ibisch   16
4. Incorporating biodiversity issues into road design: The road agency perspective / Kevin Roberts and Anders Sjolund   27
5. Improving environmental impact assessment and road planning at the landscape scale / Jochen A. G. Jaeger   32
6. What transportation agencies need in environmental impact assessments and other reports to minimise ecological impacts / Josie Stokes   43
7. Principles underpinning biodiversity offsets and guidance on their use / Yung En Chee   51
8. Construction of roads and wildlife mitigation measures: Pitfalls and opportunities / Cameron Weller   60
9. Ensuring the completed road project is designed, built and operated as intended / Rodney van der Ree, Stephen Tonjes and Cameron Weller   65
10. Good science and experimentation are needed in road ecology / Rodney van der Ree, Jochen A. G. Jaeger, Trina Rytwinski and Edgar A. van der Grift   71
11. Field methods to evaluate the impacts of roads on wildlife / Daniel J. Smith and Rodney van der Ree   82
12. Case study: A robust method to obtain defendable data on wildlife mortality / Eric Guinard, Roger Prodon and Christophe Barbraud   96
13. Road–wildlife mitigation planning can be improved by identifying the patterns and processes associated with wildlife–vehicle collisions / Kari Gunson and Fernanda Zimmermann Teixeira   101
14. Incorporating landscape genetics into road ecology / Paul Sunnucks and Niko Balkenhol   110
15. Guidelines for evaluating use of wildlife crossing structures / Edgar A. van der Grift and Rodney van der Ree   119
16. Guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness of road mitigation measures / Edgar A. van der Grift, Rodney van der Ree and Jochen A. G. Jaeger   129
17. How to maintain safe and effective mitigation measures / Rodney van der Ree and Stephen Tonjes   138
18. Understanding and mitigating the negative effects of road lighting on ecosystems / Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. DeVault and Thomas W. Seamans   143
19. Ecological impacts of road noise and options for mitigation / Kirsten M. Parris   151
20. Fencing: A valuable tool for reducing wildlife–vehicle collisions and funneling fauna to crossing structures / Rodney van der Ree, Jeffrey W. Gagnon and Daniel J. Smith   159
21. Wildlife crossing structures: An effective strategy to restore or maintain wildlife connectivity across roads / Daniel J. Smith, Rodney van der Ree and Carme Rosell   172
22. Recreational co-use of wildlife crossing structures / Rodney van der Ree and Edgar A. van der Grift   184
23. Predator–prey interactions at wildlife crossing structures: Between myth and reality / Cristina Mata, Robert a Bencini, Brian K. Chambers and Juan E. Malo   190
24. Wildlife warning signs and animal detection systems aimed at reducing wildlife–vehicle collisions / Marcel P. Huijser, Christa Mosler-Berger, Mattias Olsson and Mart in Strein   198
25. Use of reflectors and auditory deterrents to prevent wildlife–vehicle collisions / Gino D’Angelo and Rodney van der Ree   213
26. Ecological effects of railways on wildlife / Benjamin Dorsey, Mattias Olsson and Lisa J. Rew   219
27. Impacts of utility and other industrial linear corridors on wildlife / A. David M. Latham and Stan Boutin   228
28. The impacts of roads and traffic on terrestrial animal populations / Trina Rytwinski and Lenore Fahrig   237
29. Insects, snails and spiders: The role of invertebrates in road ecology / Heinrich Reck and Rodney van der Ree   247
30. Case study: Protecting Christmas Island’s iconic red crabs from vehicles / Rob Muller and Mike Misso   258
31. Making a safe leap forward: Mitigating road impacts on amphibians / Andrew Hamer, Thomas E. S. Langton and David Lesbarreres   261
32. Reptiles: Overlooked but often at risk from roads / Kimberly M. Andrews, Tom A. Langen and Richard P. J. H. Struijk   271
33. Flight doesn’t solve everything: Mitigation of road impacts on birds / Angela Kociolek, Clara Grilo and Sandra Jacobson   281
34. Bats and roads / Isobel M. Abbott, Anna Bert hinussen, Emma Stone, Martijn Boonman, Markus Melber and John Altringham   290
35. Carnivores: Struggling for survival in roaded landscapes / Clara Grilo, Daniel J. Smith and Nina Klar   300
36. Case study: Roads and jaguars in the Mayan forests / Eugenia Pallares, Carlos Manterola, Dalia A. Conde and Fernando Colchero   313
37. Case study: Finding the middle road – grounded approaches to mitigate highway impacts in tiger reserves / Sanjay Gubbi   317
38. Case study: African wild dogs and the fragmentation menace / Brendan Whittington-Jones and Harriet Davies-Mostert   322
39. Roads, traffic and verges: Big problems and big opportunities for small mammals / Fernando Ascensao, Scott LaPoint and Rodney van der Ree   325
40. Reducing road impacts on tree-dwelling animals / Kylie Soanes and Rodney van der Ree   334
41. Case study: Canopy bridges for primate conservation / Andrea Donaldson and Pamela Cunneyworth   341
42. Transportation and large herbivores / Patricia Cramer, Mattias Olsson, Michelle E. Gadd, Rodney van der Ree and Leonard E. Sielecki   344
43. Case study: The Mount Kenya elephant corridor and underpass / Susie Weeks   353
44. Form and function: A more natural approach to infrastructure, fish and stream habitats / Paul J. Wagner   357
45. Solutions to the impacts of roads and other barriers on fish and fish habitat / Fabrice Ottburg and Matt Blank   364
46. The function and management of roadside vegetation / Suzanne J. Milton, W. Richard J. Dean, Leonard E. Sielecki and Rodney van der Ree   373
47. Roads in the arid lands: Issues, challenges and potential solutions / Enhua Lee, David B. Croft and Tamar Achiron-Frumkin   382
48. Road ecology in an urbanising world / Darryl Jones, Hans Bekker and Rodney van der Ree   391
49. Tropical ecosystem vulnerability and climatic conditions: Particular challenges for road planning, construction and maintenance / Miriam Goosem   397
50. The influence of economics, politics and environment on road ecology in South America / Alex Bager, Carlos E. Borg hi and Helio Secco   407
51. Highway construction as a force in the destruction of the Amazon forest / Philip M. Fearnside   414
52. Road ecology in South India: Issues and mitigation opportunities / K. S. Seshadri and T. Ganesh   425
53. Planning roads through sensitive Asian landscapes: Regulatory issues, ecological implications and challenges for decision-making / Asha Rajvanshi and Vinod B. Mathur   430
54. Setjhaba SA, South Afrika: A South African perspective of an emerging transport infrastructure / Wendy Collinson, Dan Parker, Claire Patterson-Abrolat, Graham Alexander and Harriet Davies-Mostert   439
55. Unfenced reserves, unparalleled biodiversity and a rapidly changing landscape: Roadways and wildlife in East Africa / Clinton W. Epps, Katarzyna Nowak, and Benezeth Mutayoba   448
56. Expected effects of a road across the Serengeti / Michelle E. Gadd   455
57. China: Building and managing a massive road and rail network and protecting our rich biodiversity / Yun Wang, Yaping Kong and Jiding Chen   465
58. Railways, roads and fences across Kazakhstan and Mongolia threaten the survival of wide-ranging wildlife / Kirk A. Olson and Rodney van der Ree   472
59. Best-practice guidelines and manuals / Marguerite Trocmé   479
60. Case study: The role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and advocates in reducing the impacts of roads on wildlife / Patricia White   485
61. Case study: Building a community of practice for road ecology / Paul J. Wagner and Andreas Seiler   488
62. Wildlife/roadkill observation and reporting systems / Fraser Shilling, Sarah Perkins and Wendy Collinson   492

Glossary   502
Species   509
Index   513

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Biography

Associate Professor Rodney van der Ree has studied the impacts of human activities on biodiversity since the mid 1990s. His current focus includes urban ecology and road ecology, with a strong emphasis on improving research and monitoring and ensuring evidence-based information contributes to the design and management of infrastructure. Rodney is currently the Deputy Director of the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology at the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and The University of Melbourne. He was awarded the Graeme Caughley Travelling fellowship in 2014 to promote and enhance road ecology in developing countries.

Daniel Smith is a research associate and member of the graduate faculty in the Department of Biology at the University of Central Florida and a member of the National Academies Transportation Research Board Subcommittee on Ecology and Transportation. Dr. Smith has 20+ years of experience in the fields of ecology and environmental planning. His primary focus is studying movement patterns and habitat use of terrestrial vertebrates and integrating conservation, transportation and land-use planning. He received the 2014 land conservation and planning award from the Florida Wildlife Federation for his outstanding contributions to sound use and management of Florida's natural resources.

Clara Grilo obtained her doctorate in Conservation Biology from the University of Lisbon (Portugal). Her primary interest is applied ecological research in support of active conservation projects. Over the last years, much of her research has focused on the impact of anthropogenic changes to the landscape and effects on wildlife. Currently, she is coordinating research projects on road ecology, namely the effects of roads on the abundance, spatial behavior, population genetic structure and risk of mortality on owls and mammals and the effectiveness of measures to reduce the negative effects of roads on wildlife.