Best Practices Manual to Reduce Animal-Vehicle Collisions and Provide Habitat Connectivity for Wildlife

Abstract

The goal for this manual is to provide practical information for the implementation of mitigation measures that aim to: 1. Improve human safety through reducing collisions with large animals, including large wild mammal species, select free roaming large feral species, and select free roaming large livestock species, and 2. Improve or maintain habitat connectivity for terrestrial wildlife species and selected feral species through safe crossing opportunities. This manual does not include all possible measures that can or may reduce animal-vehicle collisions and maintain or improve habitat connectivity for wildlife. The measures included in this manual are: Barriers (fences) in combination with crossing structures (for large wild mammals and for small wild animal species), roadside animal detection system, Barriers (fences), Barriers (fences) in combination with crossing structures (for free roaming livestock), and culling, relocation, anti-fertility treatment, roadside animal detection systems, barriers (fences), and barriers (fences) in combination with crossing structures (for large feral mammal species such as feral horses and burros).

West-Wide Study to Identify Important Highway Locations for Wildlife Crossings

“…Therefore, this Study focuses on wildlife crossings combined with wildlife fencing as measures that reduce WVCs by 80-100 percent and maintain habitat connectivity by providing safe passage for a variety of species. Depending on the design of a wildlife crossing structure, including its size, location, type, the cover or habitat it offers, and fencing, it may both reduce direct road mortality for larger wildlife and also provide safe crossing opportunities for a variety of taxa, including smaller mammal species, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates (Huijser et al 2022b). While wildlife crossings often are considered an expensive mitigation option, they are the only mitigation package that addresses the objectives of collision reduction and maintaining or improving connectivity for wildlife, and they can be cost-effective (Huijser et al 2009;Lee et al 2012;Huijser et al 2022a) over the course of their service life, which is commonly 75 years.…”

“…The findings of this Study can be used as part of an early identification phase of highway segments to prioritize, with the understanding that further site-specific, finescale assessments are necessary to determine the specific location of wildlife crossings. Such assessments account for additional considerations such as target species' preference for crossing structure type, design considerations, adjacent habitats, land ownership, political viability, and key partner support (Huijser et al 2008;Clevenger and Huijser 2011;Huijser et al 2022b;Cramer et al 2022b).…”