Global Roadkill Network - In Progress

Linking Landscapes

fmshilling — Fri, 11 Aug 2017 21:37:35 +0000

In 2008, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife - Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Programentered into an interagency agreement to streamline Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA) review through detailed early project coordination, reducing impacts though the evaluation of preliminary project designs and investigating creative cost-effective mitigation opportunities. The success of the partnership has led to the initiation of Linking Landscapes, a proactive wildlife and transportation collaborative between NHESP and MassDOT. In conjunction with the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the agencies launched a long-term and multifaceted volunteer based monitoring program and planning collaboration to be implemented throughout the state. Utilizing expertise from various state departments along with collaboration with the public, LLMW's objectives are to: 1) reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and improve public safety; 2) enhance, protect, and restore habitats impacted by roads; 3) control invasive species; 4) incorporate conservation priorities into transportation planning; and, 5) implement wildlife transportation and research.

MassDOT

Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife - Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program

Linking Landscapes

Road Watch BC

fmshilling — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 20:52:02 +0000

In Progress

Road Watch BC was developed to address where transportation mitigation strategies are needed to improve human and wildlife safety. Data collection includes for both opportunistic wildlife observations and systematic routes along a major transportation corridor in BC. The program includes a smartphone application where results are communicated instantly to participants through an on-line mapping tool.

Miistakis Institute

Road Watch BC

Taiwan Roadkill Observation Network

admin — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 22:19:10 +0000

In Progress

Unlike the common research-oriented beginning of other Citizen Science projects, Reptile Road Mortality (Taiwan Roadkill Observation Network, http://www.facebook.com/groups/roadkilled/ ) originated from a Facebook group of concerned citizens created in August 2011. Due to the power of social media networks, our group members come from a variety of locations, academic backgrounds, and do not come from any particular group, association, or academy. Most members of our community are not acquainted with one another. More interestingly, this was not an intentionally planned Citizen Science project. Rather it was gradually established through discussions and consensus among members. The current appointment of main staff that operates the website, our goals, information-collecting SOP, software tools for back-end use, database platform and this particular website, were all achieved step-by-step under cooperation and numerous adjustments and revisions. The primary mission of Reptile Road Mortality is to set up an eco-friendly path to mitigate roadkill challenges. We have four main tenets guiding our organization. Our overarching goal is to 1. Mitigate Roadkill. The following three goals are developed based on this main tenet: (2. Citizen Science) We aim to popularize national discourse on such environmental issues and civil participation in scientific research. (3. Environmental Education) Additionally, we will encourage citizens to mitigate roadkill as the first step in fostering lifelong ecological interest and conservation action. (4. Cherish Life) Last but not least, we establish the concept that all life and species are valuable and we encourage participants to help collect and send roadkill specimens to our lab for preservation . This allows these animals to be used for future studies, making greater value of the loss of life.

Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute

Taiwan Roadkill Observation Network

e-Wildlife Watch Maritimes

fmshilling — Thu, 27 Aug 2015 16:21:12 +0000

In Progress

E Wildlife Watch Maritimes is a new citizen science-based and public education program of the Sierra Club Canada Foundation, Atlantic Chapter. The program will involve volunteers (scientists, students, wildlife rescue responders and others) in collecting real time data of wildlife-vehicle collision observations and wildlife movements near and on roads on their smart phones into a central website database. The animal data collected will not be restricted to large animals, but will accommodate the collection of any animals killed or travelling on roads.

Sierra Club Canada Foundation

Project Roadkill (Austria)

fmshilling — Fri, 21 Aug 2015 23:47:50 +0000

In Progress

Habitat fragmentation by roads is a severe impact for many animal species, particularly for those with high mobility or seasonal migration behaviour, such as mammals or amphibians. As a consequence, roadkill is one of the main reasons for the decrease of populations of several animal groups. In Austria, official data of roadkills are only available for huntable wildlife. In the year 2012, amongst others 24852 European hare, 36865 Roe deer, 1414 European badger were killed on roads. However, there are no data available on the effects of roads on non-huntable wildlife or red list species such as European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) or European green toad (Bufo viridis). In this project we investigate among other factors whether (I) the surrounding landscape influences number of species and individuals killed on roads and (II) wheather conditions affect the number of roadkills. To answer these research questions we launched a citizen science project where participants report roadkill findings via smartphone app or an online form (www.roadkill.at). The data entry includes inter alia coordinates of the roadkill location, taxonomic information of the killed animals, information about participants behaviour and if possible an image of the roadkill. The handling of the app is very easy, hence enabling its integration in teaching at schools or universities in order to connect students with both science and nature conservation issues. Besides answering our research questions findings of this project also allow to locate dangerous spots for animals and could help to set up nature conservation actions.

Institute of Zoology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna

Project Roadkill (Austria)

App teaser

Wildlife and Roads Project (South Africa)

fmshilling — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 19:01:38 +0000

In Progress

Although the transport industry (road, rail, air, marine) is massive, it is still developing rapidly in South Africa in accordance with the country’s National Development Plan. The transport industry caters for both commercial and passenger vehicles. Despite recognition of transport infrastructure being a threat to biodiversity, such infrastructure developments are required for economic growth. Current developments are conducted with little or no thought given to protecting biodiversity. Wildlife mortality resulting from vehicle collisions has been recognised as a threat to wildlife, although the extent is unknown.

Endangered Wildlife Trust (South Africa)

Wildlife and Roads (South Africa)

Maine Audubon Wildlife Road Watch (US)

fmshilling — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 18:45:12 +0000

In Progress

This program began in 2010 and is supported by hundreds of volunteers who collect observaitons of live and dea widlife along the state's roads and highways. The data is used to inform discussion with the state's Department of Transportation about reducing impacts to wildlife from roads and traffic.

Maine Audubon (US)

Maine Audubon Wildlife Road Watch

Road Kill Survey (Ireland)

fmshilling — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 18:38:50 +0000

In Progress

Biology.ie (Ireland)

Road kill may be a significant cause of mortality for some animals. In certain species (e.g. the Otter) the loss of only a handful of individuals is likely to have a significant impact on local population dynamics. We are especially interested in learning whether particular species are prone to this type of mortality and also whether road kills show seasonal or geographic patterns.

Ireland Road Kill Survey

Project Splatter (UK)

fmshilling — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 18:31:21 +0000

In Progress

Project SPLATTER (Social media platform for estimating roadkill) is a citizen science research project based at Cardiff University that collates wildlife roadkill data reported by members of the public across the UK. The main aim is to estimate the impacts roads have on all UK wildlife species. Working with partner organisations data are used to mitigate risk to all species. Where, when and what species have been seen are reported by the public using Twitter @ProjectSplatter, Facebook, App, email or web form.

Cardiff University (Wales)

Project Splatter (UK)

Animal-Vehicle Collisions (Czech Republic)

fmshilling — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 18:22:10 +0000

In Progress

An unknown number of animals, between tens and hundreds, are killed on the roads and railways in the Czech Republic every day. Neither the species involved nor the ratios are generally known. www.srazenazver.cz was launched to coveras many AVC sources as possible in one place. This application is accessible through common web browsers and allows the user to input, edit and browse data gathered by other users. Every registered user can add data. Users have several authorizations which are based on their status. The majority of data consist of ungulates.

(Czech Republic) Transport Research Centre

Czech Animal-Vehicle Collision