Kylie Soanes

University of Melbourne | MSD · Department of Forest and Ecosystem Science

Millions of dollars are spent on wildlife crossing structures intended to reduce the barrier effects of roads on wildlife. However, we know little about the degree to which these structures facilitate dispersal and gene flow. Our study incorporates two elements that are rarely used in the evaluation of wildlife crossing structures: an experimental...

Wildlife crossing structures are commonly used to mitigate the barrier and mortality impacts of roads on wildlife. For arboreal mammals, canopy bridges, glider poles and vegetated medians are used to provide safe passage across roads. However, the effectiveness of these measures is unknown. We investigate the effect of canopy bridges, glider poles...

Arboreal animals need trees for some or all of their shelter, food and movement. This diverse group of wildlife includes mammals, amphibians and reptiles that climb, crawl and glide in trees. Since trees are a critical resource, arboreal animals are directly affected by habitat loss from road construction. The susceptibility of arboreal animals to...

Context: Wildlife crossing structures are installed to mitigate the impacts of roads on animal populations, yet little is known about some aspects of their success. Many studies have monitored the use of structures by wildlife, but studies that also incorporate individual identification methods can offer additional insights into their effectiveness...

An experimental approach to road mitigation that maximizes inferential power is essential to ensure that mitigation is both ecologically-effective and cost-effective. Here, we set out the need for and standards of using an experimental approach to road mitigation, in order to improve knowledge of the influence of mitigation measures on wildlife pop...

The widespread impacts of roads on animal movement have led to the search for innovative mitigation tools. Wildlife crossing structures (tunnels or bridges) are a common approach; however, their effectiveness remains unclear beyond isolated case studies. We conduct an extensive literature review and synthesis to address the question: What is the ev...

Abstract Citizen‐science projects focused on ecology and conservation have been growing in popularity in recent years, offering many opportunities for researchers and volunteers alike. Two principal approaches to citizen‐science projects in ecology can be characterized as the data‐first approach and the question‐first approach. Here, we highlight t...

Cities have important roles in biodiversity restoration and management. Local municipalities, as key land managers, play critical roles since some species are restricted to small patches of urban habitat, and some are considered threatened. Evolving approaches to urban nature policy, strategy and implementation demonstrate increasing sophistication...

Urban biodiversity conservation is critical if cities are to tackle the biodiversity‐extinction crisis and connect people with nature. However, little attention has been paid to how urban environmental managers navigate complex socio‐ecological contexts to conserve biodiversity in cities. We interviewed environmental managers from Australian cities...

Roads and other linear infrastructure create treeless gaps that can limit the movement of non‐flying, arboreal animals. These negative effects are particularly strong in dense forests, where even narrow infrastructure corridors represent a significant change in habitat structure. Artificial canopy bridges are an increasingly common approach to miti...

The application of ecological theory in urban planning is becoming more important as land managers focus on increasing biodiversity to improve human welfare in cities. Authorities must decide not only what types of biodiversity-focused infrastructure should be prioritized, but also where new resources should be positioned and existing resources pro...

In March 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, two of us decided to organise a virtual symposium on canopy bridges for the American Society of Primatology and Smithsonian's Earth Optimism initiative. Afterall, canopy bridges are a conservation solution that invites optimism in the face of all the challenges confronting the natural world. We were as...

The application of ecological theory to urban planning is becoming more important as land managers focus on increasing urban biodiversity as a way to improve human welfare. City authorities must decide not only what types of biodiversity-focused infrastructure should be prioritized, but also where new resources should be positioned and existing res...

During ATBC 2022, we presented an update to the study "The potential and practice of arboreal camera trapping" by Moore et al (2021)

Across all landscape types, environmental managers work with communities to conserve biodiversity. The effectiveness of conservation practice, however, relies on acknowledging differences in preferences and values of nature. Implementing urban conservation is challenging because cities have diverse social, cultural and ecological attributes, meanin...

The decline of critical habitat structures, such as large old trees, is a global environmental challenge. The cavities that occur in these trees provide shelter and nesting sites for many species but can take centuries to develop. Artificial cavities, including nest boxes and carved logs, offer an increasingly important conservation response. Howev...

Background: Publication and co-authorship rates have been increasing over decades. In response, calls are being made to restrict the number of publications included in research evaluations. Yet there is little evidence to guide publication expectations and inform research evaluation for early career researchers (ECRs). Methods: Here we examine the...

Aim The road network is increasing globally but the consequences of roadkill on the viability of wildlife populations are largely unknown. We provide a framework that allows us to estimate how risk of extinction of local populations increases due to roadkill and to generate a global assessment that identifies which mammalian species are most vulner...

Arboreal camera trapping is a burgeoning method providing a novel and effective technique to answer research questions across a variety of ecosystems, and it has the capacity to improve our understanding of a wide range of taxa. However, while terrestrial camera trapping has received much attention, there is little guidance for dealing with the uni...

Traffic disturbances (i.e. pollution, light, noise, and vibrations) often extend into the area surrounding a road creating a ‘road-effect zone’. Habitat within the road-effect zone is degraded or, in severe cases, completely unsuitable for wildlife, resulting in indirect habitat loss. This can have a disproportionate impact on wildlife in highly mo...

This report investigates the opportunities for threatened species conservation within Australian cities and towns

Urban environments provide an opportunity to conserve biodiversity while engaging people with urban nature. This booklet shares the perspectives and experiences of environmental managers who are working to conserve urban biodiversity and highlights key considerations for implementing new conservation projects. The information will be of interest to...

This report forms Part III of the CAUL project “Practical actions for the conservation of urban biodiversity”. Here, we present a detailed list of actions described by land managers across the country. This expanded inventory has been produced to provide a comprehensive list of actions, activities or programs to inspire urban land managers who are...

This report provides an overview of the CAUL Urban Wildlife App and a summary of the data collected and related research activities from January 2017 to November 2020. It is intended as a brief introduction to the goals of the app and each of its modules, as well as a way to report back and thank the hundreds of citizen scientists who have contribu...

This report provides a summary of research activities relating to wetland species in urban environments that were undertaken by the CAUL Hub between 2015 and 2020. It covers research on the role or urban wetlands in threatened species conservation, the threats that affect urban wetland habitats, possible actions to restore and enhance wetlands in c...

In an attempt to improve cost-effectiveness, it has become increasingly popular to adapt wildlife crossing structures to enable people to also use them for safe passage across roads. However, the required needs of humans and wildlife may conflict, resulting in a structure that does not actually provide the perceived improvement in cost-effectivenes...

Engaging school students in wildlife research through citizen science projects can be a win–win for scientists and educators. Not only does it provide a way for scientists to gather new data, but it can also contribute to science education and help younger generations become more environmentally aware. However, wildlife research can be challenging...

The purpose of this research report is to identify current approaches to urban biodiversity conservation in Australian cities and identify opportunities and challenges for undertaking future actions. This project forms the first Australian assessment of its kind, where findings can be used to facilitate improved practice.

Urban environments are arguably among the most suitable targets for conservation science, as they represent opportunities to preserve both species and habitats under threat while at the same time allowing people to engage with nature. We highlight the need for conservation within urban environments using species whose recovery is entirely dependent...

Roads and traffic may be contributing to global declines of insect populations. The ecological effects of roads often extend far into the surrounding habitat, over a distance known as the road‐effect zone. The quality of habitat in the road‐effect zone is generally degraded (e.g., due to edge effects, noise, light, and chemical pollution) and can b...

Despite repeated calls to action, proposals for urban conservation are often met with surprise or scepticism. There remains a pervasive narrative in policy, practice, and the public psyche that urban environments, although useful for engaging people with nature or providing ecosystem services, are of little conservation value. We argue that the ten...

Optimal wildlife survey techniques should maximise detectability or capture rates of target species and minimise potential harm to animals. We compared the effectiveness of Elliott and PVC pipe traps for the capture of small arboreal mammals in the Victorian Central Highlands and found that pipe traps were less effective at capturing small arboreal...

Roads can form barriers to movement for many species, and may reduce the ability of individuals to access foraging and breeding habitat. The impacts of roads on terrestrial fauna has been well studied, however little is known of the impact of roads on insectivorous bats. Wildlife crossing structures (e.g. fauna underpasses) may reduce the barrier i...

11 We review eight years of monitoring data to quantify the number of predation attempts on 12 arboreal marsupials using canopy bridges and glider poles across a major road in southeast 13 Australia. We recorded 13,488 detections of arboreal marsupials on the structures, yet only 14 a single (and unsuccessful) predation attempt was recorded. 15

Road traffic kills hundreds of millions of animals every year, posing a critical threat to the populations of many species. To address this problem there are more than forty types of road mitigation measures available that aim to reduce wildlife mortality on roads (road-kill). For road planners, deciding on what mitigation method to use has been pr...

There is a paradox in the shared objectives of ecology and conservation science, and the dissemination of their research: conservation is about preserving the environment, yet scientists spread this message using conferences with heavy carbon footprints. Further, ecology and conservation science depend on global knowledge exchange-getting the best...

Genetic approaches have proven useful for addressing various conservation problems, but genetics remains poorly integrated into conservation practice. Multidisciplinary conservation conferences present excellent opportunities for bridging the conservation-genetics gap and facilitating cross-disciplinary projects. We hypothesize that there is a tend...

There’s nothing quite like a scenic drive along a tree-lined highway. Majestic eucalypts stand sentry like a guard of honour. As passengers gazing out the car window, we might not think of these narrow, highway-side reserves as prime habitat for wildlife. Yet in many landscapes across Victoria, ‘roadside reserves’ are all that remains of the pre-Eu...

Roadkill (the mortality of animals through wildlife–vehicle collisions) is one of the main impacts of roads on wildlife. Studies quantifying the location and rate of roadkill to identify ‘hot spots’ are often used to guide the location of mitigation efforts, such as fencing or wildlife crossing structures. However, sometimes quantifying rates of ro...

Conservation at the cross-roads: how roads and other linear infrastructure influence conservation symposium at the International Congress of Conservation Biology and the European Congress of Conservation Biology 6th August 2015.

We designed nine polymorphic markers for the squirrel glider (Petaurus norfolcensis), an arboreal marsupial in eastern Australia. These markers will assist in the management of isolated populations and the evaluation of wildlife corridors.

Roads and traffic are prominent components of most landscapes throughout the world, and their negative effects on the natural environment can extend for hundreds or thousands of meters beyond the road. These effects include mortality of wildlife due to collisions with vehicles, pollution of soil and air, modification of wildlife behavior in respons...