Analysis of Roadkill on the Korean Expressways from 2004 to 2019

Kim, Minkyung; Park, Hyomin; Lee, Sang−Don

doi:10.3390/ijerph181910252

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…WVCs have a significant influence on the safety of humans and animals. Therefore, it is essential to analyze the exact location, period, and causes of WVCs in high-risk areas and establish effective mitigation measures [54]. To reduce the probability of WVC occurrence on expressways, the locations of WVC mitigation facilities should be selected based on analyses of each animal's behavioral and ecological characteristics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Characteristics of Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions of Water Deer in Korea Expressway

2021

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In recent decades, rapid industrial growth has accelerated the construction of new roads, which has led to the destruction and isolation of wildlife habitats. Newly constructed roads affect wildlife in many ways. In particular, fatal wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) have a direct impact on wildlife. A substantial number of WVCs occur every year on expressways, where vehicle speeds and vehicle traffic are significant. However, our understanding of the relative importance of the factors associated with areas in which large numbers of WVCs occur on the expressway remains poor. Therefore, herein, we analyze the spatial characteristics of WVCs. The effect of spatial distribution on the occurrence of WVCs was analyzed using the types of land cover in the areas where water deer appear (Cheongju, Boeun, and Sangju) and the areas in which WVCs occur along the Cheongju–Sangju Expressway (CSE). We identified the WVC hotspots by using CSE patrol data recorded between January 2008 and December 2019, and we analyzed the corresponding distribution patterns and land cover characteristics. Along the CSE, a total of 1082 WVCs occurred, out of which collisions involving water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) accounted for 91%. Water deer appear frequently in Forested Areas and Agricultural Land, but the WVC distribution in the Hotspots followed a highly clustered pattern, with a higher proportion of WVCs occurring in Used Areas (areas including buildings such as residential facilities, commercial and industrial facilities, and transportation facilities). Used Areas have a smaller cut slope compared to Forested Areas, and Used Areas are open terrains. Therefore, the occurrence of WVCs will be high given that wildlife can easily access the expressway. Based on these results, we can infer that the landscapes near the expressway influence the occurrence of WVCs. To establish an effective policy for reducing WVCs on a road, the WVC characteristics and spatial distribution of the road should be considered together. Further research on the wildlife ecology and land-use status of WVC hotspots is required to mitigate WVCs on expressways and protect human and animal life. Therefore, if the characteristics of WVC hotspots are analyzed considering the characteristics of various ecosystems, an appropriate WVC reduction plan can be established.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Characteristics of Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions of Water Deer in Korea Expressway

2021

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“…The length of the road network in Korea has continuously increased in recent decades [ 1 ]; as of 2019, the total length of roads in Korea totaled 111,314 km, consisting of 4767 km of expressways (4.3%), 14,030 km of general national highways (12.6%), 4945 km of special city and metropolitan city roads (4.4%), 18,047 km of local roads (16.2%), 30,307 km of city roads (27.2%), 22,776 km of county roads (20.5%), and 16,442 km of district roads (14.8%), [ 2 ]. Expressways were first introduced to Korea with the completion of the Gyeongin Expressway in 1968 [ 3 ], providing high-speed transportation for vehicles and acting as the backbone of the transportation network connecting major cities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, to establish comprehensive measures to prevent WVCs, the KEC conducted a detailed ecological survey in 2008 and research on facility evaluation and the development of alternatives [ 9 , 10 ]. As a result, the annual number of roadkill cases found on expressways in Korea has decreased, but, nevertheless, thousands of WVCs still occur annually, and there are differences in the roadkill incidence rates and hotspot areas between species [ 1 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, a roadkill hotspot study was conducted using spatial analysis [ 14 ], while roadkill clusters have also been investigated [ 15 ]. Recently, Kim et al [ 1 ] analyzed the temporal and spatial trends of roadkill on highways across Korea over the past 15 years to determine priority roadkill mitigation measures. However, all of these studies targeted temporal or spatial data separately, and thus, could not accurately reflect spatiotemporal changes in roadkill patterns.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identification of Emerging Roadkill Hotspots on Korean Expressways Using Space–Time Cubes

Kim

Lee

2023

IJERPH

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Collisions with wild animals on high-speed expressways not only lead to roadkill but can also cause accidents that incur considerable human and economic costs. Based on roadkill data from 2004–2019 for four common wildlife species involved in collisions with vehicles on expressways in Korea (water deer, common raccoon dog, Korean hare, and wild boar), the present study conducted optimized hotspot analysis and identified spatiotemporal patterns using a space–time cube (STC) approach. Temporal and spatial differences in the roadkill data were observed between species. Water deer were the most common roadkill species of the four studied, with hotspots in the southern region of the capital area, in the Chungnam region, and in the western Chungbuk and Gangwon-do regions. However, the instances of water deer roadkill over time differed between each region. In addition, it was found that the number of cases of wild boar roadkill has increased recently. In particular, a number of new hotspot areas were observed centered on the metropolitan area Gyeonggi-do, which contains a high population and significant infrastructure. Overall, the emerging hotspot analysis based on STCs was able to determine cold spot and hotspot trends over time, allowing for a more intuitive understanding of spatiotemporal clustering patterns and associated changes than cumulative density-oriented hotspot analysis. As a result, it becomes easier to analyze the causes of roadkill and to establish reduction measures according to priority.

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“…Currently, there is a total of 112,977 km of roads in R Korea (KOSIS, 2020), posing a significant conservation concern for the Korean wildlife (Byun et al, 2016;Choi, 2016;Kim et al, 2019Kim et al, , 2021aAndersen and Jang, 2021). While the Korean Expressway Corporation records mammal roadkills on expressways in R Korea (36.863 between 2004 andKim et al, 2021b), little attention has been given to the roadkills affecting the herpetofauna. The terrestrial herpetofauna of R Korea is composed of 23 amphibian (14 frog species and 10 salamander species) and 27 reptile species (12 species of snakes, six species of lizards, and 10 species of freshwater turtles).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Citizen science and roadkill trends in the Korean herpetofauna: The importance of spatially biased and unstandardized data

et al. 2022

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Roadkills are a major threat to the wildlife in human-modified landscapes. Due to their ecology, relatively small size, and slow movement, amphibians and reptiles are particularly prone to roadkill. While standardized roadkill surveys provide valuable data for regional roadkill trends, such surveys are often resource-intensive and have limited geographic coverage. Herein, we analyzed a roadkill dataset of the Korean herpetofauna derived from the citizen science database iNaturalist and compared the overall roadkill trends detected in the iNaturalist data with standardized survey-based literature data. Our results show that the overall citizen science data provide a good picture of roadkill trends for the Korean herpetofauna in terms of recorded species. We detected both similarities and notable differences between the iNaturalist and literature data. The most notable differences between the two datasets were found in the number of recorded species, distribution across habitat types, and distribution across elevational ranges. Even with spatially biased sampling, the iNaturalist data had a considerably broader geographic coverage compared to standardized surveys. In addition, we related the presence of roadkills of amphibians and reptiles to the presence of agricultural lands, forests, and grassland. While the unstandardized nature of the citizen science data can be criticized, we argue that this feature also acts as an advantage for this type of data, as citizen science can better detect roadkills of rare species or seasonal events, such as mass migration of amphibians, and inform population trends and threats. Thus, our results highlight the importance of spatially biased and unstandardized citizen science data for roadkill detection. This study builds on previous studies demonstrating citizen science as a viable method of roadkill surveys.

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Analysis of Roadkill on the Korean Expressways from 2004 to 2019

Cited by 9 publications

References 23 publications

Spatial Characteristics of Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions of Water Deer in Korea Expressway

Spatial Characteristics of Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions of Water Deer in Korea Expressway

Identification of Emerging Roadkill Hotspots on Korean Expressways Using Space–Time Cubes

Citizen science and roadkill trends in the Korean herpetofauna: The importance of spatially biased and unstandardized data

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