No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Cost effective solutions: Animal vehicle collision reduction and habitat connectivity -Final Report PROJECT INFORMATION Transportation Pooled Fund Study, TPF-5(358) Task1 Animal Vehicle Collision Reduction and Habitat Connectivity Cost Effective Solutions Final Report
ResearchGate has not been able to resolve any citations for this publication.
The proven effectiveness of highway crossing infrastructure to mitigate wildlife-vehicle collisions with large animals has made it a preferred method for increasing motorist and animal safety along road networks around the world. The crossing structures also provide safe passage for small- and medium-sized wildlife. Current methods to build these structures use concrete and steel, which often result in high costs due to the long duration of construction and the heavy machinery required to assemble the materials. Recently, engineers and architects are finding new applications of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and low life-cycle costs. This material is better suited to withstand environmental elements and the static and dynamic loads required of wildlife infrastructure. Although carbon and glass fibers along with new synthetic resins are most commonly used, current research suggests an increasing incorporation and use of bio-based and recycled materials. Since FRP bridges are corrosion resistant and hold their structural properties over time, owners of the bridge can benefit by reducing costly and time-consuming maintenance over its lifetime. Adapting FRP bridges for use as wildlife crossing structures can contribute to the long-term goals of improving motorist and passenger safety, conserving wildlife and increasing cost efficiency, while at the same time reducing plastics in landfills.
Road ecology research has tended to focus on wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) while omitting or failing to differentiate domestic (i.e., livestock) animal-vehicle collisions (DAVCs). This has limited our understanding of where, when, and how frequently DAVCs occur, and whether these patterns differ from those for WVCs. We used a 10-year collision data set for the U.S. state of Montana to compare temporal and spatial patterns of DAVCs versus WVCs at multiple scales. WVCs exhibited two diel peaks (dawn and dusk) versus only one prominent peak (late evening/early night) for DAVCs. Seasonal patterns of WVCs and DAVCs were broadly similar, but DAVCs exhibited a more pronounced late-fall peak. At the county scale, DAVCs were overrepresented relative to WVCs in most of eastern Montana and underrepresented in most of western Montana. WVC and DAVC hotpots did not show strong overlap at the 1-mile road segment scale. Our results suggest that DAVCs warrant greater attention, and they may represent a high priority for management and mitigation measures in some areas because (1) they can be locally common even when regionally rare, (2) they are more dangerous to motorists on a per-collision basis than WVCs, and (3) they can present a legal liability for livestock owners. Mitigation measures for DAVCs may differ from those for WVCs and require further development and testing. Future data collection efforts should include information not only on the location and timing of animal-vehicle collisions, but also on the species of animals killed.
As roads continue to be built and expanded, it is important that managers understand the effects that vehicle-related mortality can have on the population dynamics of wildlife. Our objective was to examine the frequency of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) vehicle collisions to determine if different demographic groups showed differential susceptibility to mortality when compared with their proportion in the population. We also compared vehicle collision rates of mule deer, elk (Cervus canadensis), and moose (Alces alces) to determine their relative vulnerability to vehicle collisions. We found that 65% of mule deer involved in vehicle collisions were female; of those, 40% were adult does ≥2 yrs. When we compared the proportion of bucks, does, and fawns killed in vehicle collisions to surveys of live deer, we found that bucks were killed at rate of 2.1–3.0 times their proportion in the population. Additionally, when we compared vehicle collision rates for 2010 and 2011, we found that mule deer were 7.4–8.7 times more likely to be involved in collisions than elk and 1.2–2.0 times more likely than moose. However, we were unable to detect a negative correlation (P=0.55) between mule deer abundance and increasing traffic volume.
The eVects of roads on the natural environment is of growing concern world-wide and foremost amongst these eVects are the fatalities of wildlife killed in collisions with vehicles. Aside from animal welfare and human safety considerations, fatalities may have signiWcant impacts on the population dynamics of species living adjacent to roads and thus can adversely aVect the viability of local populations. As such, the need to quantify and mitigate road-based fatalities is paramount. With a vast expanse of roads it is imper-ative to identify where animals are most likely to be killed (i.e. hotspots) and what are the contributing factors. In order to identify hotspots, we develop a modelling approach for both presence and presence/absence data. We use data collected from the Snowy Mountain Highway in southern New South Wales, Australia, to compare the eVectiveness of this approach for Wve species/groups of species. We observed that models of species killed in a clumped fashion were eVective at identifying hotspots, while for species where fatalities were distributed evenly along the road the models were less eVective. We recommend that where actual presence data exists spatial clustering is the preferred method of hotspot identiWcation. Predictive models of presence/absence date should be constructed if the intention is to extrapolate to additional areas. The added beneWt of predictive models are that they enable the identiWcation of explanatory factors and this knowledge enables species-speciWc management strategies to be developed and implemented at hotspot locations.
"Wildlife–vehicle collisions, especially with deer (Odocoileus spp.), elk (Cervus elaphus), and moose (Alces alces) are numerous and have shown an increasing trend over the last several decades in the United States and Canada. We calculated the costs associated with the average deer–, elk–, and moose–vehicle collision, including vehicle repair costs, human injuries and fatalities, towing, accident attendance and investigation, monetary value to hunters of the animal killed in the collision, and cost of disposal of the animal carcass. In addition, we reviewed the effectiveness and costs of 13 mitigation measures considered effective in reducing collisions with large ungulates. We conducted cost–benefit analyses over a 75-year period using discount rates of 1%, 3%, and 7% to identify the threshold values (in 2007 U.S. dollars) above which individual mitigation measures start generating benefits in excess of costs. These threshold values were translated into the number of deer–, elk–, or moose–vehicle collisions that need to occur per kilometer per year for a mitigation measure to start generating economic benefits in excess of costs. In addition, we calculated the costs associated with large ungulate–vehicle collisions on 10 road sections throughout the United States and Canada and compared these to the threshold values. Finally, we conducted a more detailed cost analysis for one of these road sections to illustrate that even though the average costs for large ungulate–vehicle collisions per kilometer per year may not meet the thresholds of many of the mitigation measures, specific locations on a road section can still exceed thresholds. We believe the cost–benefit model presented in this paper can be a valuable decision support tool for determining mitigation measures to reduce ungulate–vehicle collisions."
Passive use economic values for wildlife are a missing component in benefit-cost analyses informing decisions on the mitigation of wildlife-vehicle collisions through construction of wildlife crossing structures. The study describes a pilot mail survey of willingness to pay by Minnesota households for exclusionary fencing and passage structures to reduce vehicle/animal collisions in the state to protect deer and turtles. The discrete choice experiment study found strong support for fencing and passage structures, and statistically significant willingness to pay increased taxes to support their construction. A significant share of respondents had previously heard of collision avoidance structures as described in the survey (69%). A very large majority of respondents were supportive of the use of these types of structures to reduce animal/vehicle collisions (56% strongly favored and 28% favored). A large motivating factor in support for funding collision avoidance structures was concern for animal welfare.
The biomass of feral wildlife is eclipsing that of native wildlife in many parts of the world. Consequently, feral species are playing an increasingly important role in ecological community dynamics. Artificially selected life-history traits of wild but once domesticated species can elicit population dynamics that differ substantially from that of native species. Yet, we continue to lag in our understanding of the ecology and evolution of feral species with direct consequences to resource management and biodiversity conservation. In part, this is because basic and applied research into the ecology of feral wildlife is fraught with social and political challenges unique to science. Feral populations of companion animals or livestock, especially, can evoke strong emotional reactions among advocacy groups, particularly around issues of animal welfare and management policy. Managers tasked with controlling feral populations are often bound by social license, including legislative restrictions, incomparable to that of other wildlife, and harassment or litigation of researchers and managers is not uncommon. Further, research and management of feral species is often delegated to agricultural instead of wildlife government agencies with clear differences in mandate, staff education, and training. Using examples primarily from feral horses in North America, we show how scientists conducting research independent of the management process can find themselves placed between managers, advocates, and opponents of feral species, implicitly tasked with satisfying multiple and often contradictory interests of stakeholders, sometimes with direct and litigious interference. These barriers are exacerbated by inter-disciplinary tendencies to dismiss the importance of basic and applied ecological research into feral species, despite its relevance to sound decision-making. Feral species therefore possess politically and biologically facilitated asymmetries that favour persistence, growth, and expansion relative to native wildlife, while the timely study of these characteristics in nature continues to suffer from ideological opposition.
The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (WFRHBA) of 1971 established all "unbranded or unclaimed" equids on U.S. public lands as "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West." Today, >72,000 feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) and burros (E. asinus; WHB) live on western U.S. public rangelands. The number of WHBs exceeds the Bureau of Land Management's maximum Appropriate Management Level (AML) of 26,715 by a factor of approximately 2.7 and has nearly doubled from 2007-2015. The AML was set to balance WHB numbers with rangeland health and support other uses such as wildlife habitat and livestock grazing. Thus, public land management agencies must manage WHB under the multiple-use context. This becomes more problematic when WHB populations go largely unmanaged and excessive equid grazing negatively impacts rangeland vegetation, native wildlife, and livestock forage. In addition, approximately 46,000 WHBs exist in off-range holding facilities, further straining federal budgets. Contemporary management actions are being constrained by: (1) litigation that has stymied federal government WFRHBA enforcement eff orts, (2) public emotional concerns that lack reconciliation with the current situation, and (3) increasing complexity in the laws and subsequent amendments shaping WHB management policy. Collectively, these factors impede the implementation of concrete solutions to restore AML. Consequently, stakeholders are increasing polarized over how WHBs are or should be managed. While the ecological and animal health and welfare implications of unmanaged WHB populations are somewhat understood, publicly acceptable strategies to maintain healthy populations, healthy and functioning rangelands, and multiple uses that sustain wildlife and local communities remain unresolved.
Crossing structures (i.e., underpasses and overpasses) are becoming a widespread approach to promote movement of wildlife across roads. Studies have shown that species select for different crossing structure designs, yet little is known about intraspecific variation (i.e., differences among demographic classes) in crossing structure preference. Using data on grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) movement in Banff National Park (AB, Canada), we focused on selection by family groups (adult females travelling with young) and singleton (adult male or female) bears for 5 crossing structure designs distributed among 44 sites. Using data from the world's longest running monitoring program (1997–2014) on wildlife crossing structure use, we created an economic model to estimate demographic-specific cost-effectiveness for each crossing structure design. We found that all grizzly bears selected larger and more open structures (overpasses and open-span bridges). Use of these structures has generally increased with time at a rate that exceeds estimates of population growth. Family groups were more selective than singletons and strongly selected overpasses. In spite of singletons’ selection for overpasses and open-span bridges, box culverts were comparable in cost-effectiveness. Our results suggest that structure designs targeting the selection of grizzly bear family groups are effective at restoring population connectivity, but a systematic approach to designing highway mitigation also would consider the role of lesser used structures in reducing intraspecific predation and multispecies connectivity targets.
Prioritization of wildlife-vehicle conflict in Nevada. Nevada Department of Transportation
- P Cramer
- C Mcginty
• Cramer P, McGinty C. 2018. Prioritization of wildlife-vehicle conflict in Nevada. Nevada Department of
Transportation, Carson City, NV.
Existence and non-consumptive values for wildlife: Application to wolf recovery in Yellowstone National Park. Pages 1-1-1-39 in
- J Duffield
• Duffield, J. 1991. Existence and non-consumptive values for wildlife: Application to wolf recovery in Yellowstone
National Park. Pages 1-1-1-39 in C. L. Kling, ed., Benefits and costs in natural resource planning, Fourth Interim
Rept., Univ. California, Davis. 380 pp.
Incorporating deer and turtle total value in collision mitigation benefit-cost calculations
- J Duffield
- C Neher
• Duffield J, Neher C. 2021. Incorporating deer and turtle total value in collision mitigation benefit-cost calculations.
Report 701-18-803 TO 5, Nevada Department of Transportation, Carson City, NV. 62 pp.
Strategies to reduce burro-vehicle collisions in the Lake Pheasant Area
- J W Gagnon
- C A Beach
- S C Sprague
- H P Nelson
- C D Loberger
• Gagnon JW, Beach CA, Sprague SC, Nelson HP, Loberger CD. 2022. Strategies to reduce burro-vehicle collisions in
the Lake Pheasant Area. Report No. FHWA-AZ-22-753, Arizona Department of Transportation, Phoenix, AZ.
Wildlifevehicle collision reduction study
- M P Huijser
- P Mcgowen
- J Fuller
- A Hardy
- A Kociolek
- A P Clevenger
- D Smith
- R Ament
• Huijser, M.P., P. McGowen, J. Fuller, A. Hardy, A. Kociolek, A.P. Clevenger, D. Smith, and R. Ament. 2007. Wildlifevehicle collision reduction study. Report to Congress. U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway
Administration, Washington D.C., USA.
Animal vehicle collision reduction and habitat connectivity pooled fund study -Literature review
- M P Huijser
- R J Ament
- M Bell
- A P Clevenger
- E R Fairbank
- K E Gunson
- T Mcguire
• Huijser MP, Ament RJ, Bell M, Clevenger AP, Fairbank ER, Gunson KE, McGuire T. 2021. Animal vehicle collision
reduction and habitat connectivity pooled fund study -Literature review. Report No.701-18-803 TO1. Nevada
Department of Transportation, Carson City, NV.
Safety Benefits of UDOT Highway Program, Animal-Vehicle. Accident Analysis
- J Perrin
- R Disegni
• Perrin J, Disegni R. 2003. Safety Benefits of UDOT Highway Program, Animal-Vehicle. Accident Analysis. Salt Lake
City, Utah DOT.