This document discusses the impacts of roads on wildlife habitat and populations. It notes that roads can increase mortality for some species like tigers and panthers due to vehicle collisions, poaching, and reduced prey availability. Roads also fragment habitat and can act as barriers that isolate populations. The document reviews studies on the Amur tiger that found higher mortality near roads and presents the Florida panther as a case study, where roads and vehicle collisions account for nearly half of deaths. Conservation efforts aim to reduce road impacts through prevention of unnecessary construction and regulation of access.

1. Roads and Habitat Disturbances
(http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/aug2010/20100831_amurtiger.jpg)
Liz Cohan
Carroll Courtenay
Ethan Strickler

2. Sikhote-Alin State Biosphere
Zapovednik
(http://www.wcsrussia.org/Portals/32/Images/WebsiteMap_where%20we%20work_small.jpg)

3. Figure 2: Time span adult tigers
were monitored within each area
to measure survivorship
(Kerley, 2002: 100)

4. Conclusion
• Data supports the hypothesis that the risk of adult
female mortality increases for tigers near primary roads
• Impact of roads
– Logging
– Poachers
– Vehicle collision
– Accidental encounters
– Reduced tiger prey abundance
• Population source vs sink
• Suggestions
• prevent road construction, close unnecessary roads, regulate
road access
Image from:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d834
1c630a53ef0120a6bc1a81970b-600wi

5. • Only 3,000 tigers
left in the wild
• 400 of those are
Amur tigers
Image from: National Geographic
http://natgeotv.com/persian/wild-russia/galleries/wild-russia

6. Image from: http://www.typhoonfury.com/Photo%20-%20Video%20gallery/harbin.html

7. Image from: http://www.typhoonfury.com/Photo%20-%20Video%20gallery/harbin.html

8. Conservation Efforts
• Wildlife Conservation Society
• Siberian Tiger Project
• Recognize the threat of roads on Amur tiger
populations
• From 1992 to 2000, WCS found that in areas of no
roads, there is a 100% survivorship for adult tigers
versus 55% in areas with primary roads

9. Roads Impacts on Other Large
Carnivores
(Kerley, 2002: 104)

10. Discussion Questions
• How does this study represent the difficultly
of studying effects of roads in remote areas?
• Is it possible to study tigers or other wildlife in
their natural habitat without any
disturbances?
• What are some ways the reserve can increase
tiger conservation and better regulate road
access?

11. Florida Panther:
Case Study
(http://flaglerlive.com/wp-content/uploads/florida-panther.jpg)
(http://media.naplesnews.com/media/img/photos/2010/07/30/100730NS-LS-I75Sidebar_t607.jpg)

12. Florida Panther’s Current Range
I-75 Corridor
“Alligator Alley”
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/I-
(http://www.news-press.net/maps/images/panther-habitat.gif) 75_(FL)_map.svg/290px-I-75_(FL)_map.svg.png)

13. Florida Panthers and Roads
• Vehicle collisions account
for 49% of Florida panthers
deaths (Foster and Humphrey, 1995)
• Roads act as a barrier for
most female panthers (Kerley et
al., 2002) (http://www.cryptomundo.com/wp-content/uploads/FL-panther-
crossing.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a86/Pritchard71/D
aily%20Kos/UCFP141_4-19-10_FWC_MAL_02_t300.jpg)
(http://www.lochnermmmgroup.com/Images/Project/AlligatorAlleyprojet.png
)

14. Florida Panthers and Roads
• Habitat loss and
fragmentation (Kerley et al., 2002;
Foster & Humphrey, 1995)
• Human-panther conflicts
• Private property (Foster &
(http://biznews.fiu.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2011/09/everglades.jpg)
Humphrey, 1995)
• Hunting/prey availability
(Kerley et al., 2002)
(http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/Alligator%20Alley,%20Fl (http://media.naplesnews.com/media/img/photos/2010/08/16/10081
orida%20-%20Google%20Maps.jpg) 6NS-LS-DeadDonkey05_t607.jpg)

15. Under- and
Overpasses
• Relatively new way
to maintain
habitat
connectivity (Foster &
Humphrey, 1995)
• 2 concrete bridges
under a 4-lane
highway (Foster &
Humphrey, 1995)
– Unobstructed view
of habitat on other
side
(http://easterncougar.org/CougarNews/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/panther2.jpg)

16. I-75 Underpass
(http://media.naplesnews.com/media/img/photos/2011/01/13/IMG_0286_t607.JPG)

17. Florida Wildlife
Corridor
“The Florida Wildlife
Corridor project is a
collaborative vision to
connect remaining
natural lands, waters,
working farms, and
ranches from the
Everglades to Georgia,
protecting a functional
ecological corridor for
the health of people,
wildlife, and watershed”
(Florida Wildlife Corridor, 2012)
(http://www.floridawildlifecorridor.org/about-expedition/route-map/)

18. My Project
(http://images.wildernessinquiry.org/web/34069_we (http://www.celsias.com/media/uploads/admin/Road_th (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6
b.jpg) rough_the_Amazon.jpg) 1/Collared_Peccary_crossing_the_road.jpg)
• Complexity and uniqueness of tropical rainforest
ecosystems make them especially sensitive to
habitat fragmentation
• Possibility of wildlife under- and overpasses as
effective habitat connections in tropical rainforests
– Future habitat corridors and green infrastructure or
conservation networks
• Case studies

19. Discussion Questions
• What ecological characteristics might be
important in determining proper wildlife over-
and underpass placement, construction, and
target species?
• Do you think wildlife over- and underpasses are
an effective way to maintain habitat connectivity?
• In the current financial downturn, do you think
states (or other localities) will be able to justify
the costs associated with wildlife under- and
overpass construction? What might be some
other options?

20. Roads and Habitat Alteration (Ecological) – Invasive
Species Example
Parendes & Jones. 2000.

21. Invasive cont.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/node/952
“Interactions among road and stream
networks involving floods and debris
flows help transport seeds of invasive
species across environmental barriers in
many landscape settings.”
What are some invasive species we deal
with here in the Eastern United States?
Where do these species seem to establish
themselves?

22. HJ Andrews Experimental Forest and Roads –
Habitat Alteration (Physical)
http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/data/cd_pics/cd_photos.cfm?cd=aad&topnav=217
http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/lter/data/cd_pics/cd_photos.cfm?cd=aco&topnav=217
http://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/lter/research/highlights.cfm?newsid=36

23. Physical Alterations cont.
• The hydrologic cycle – surface runoff, evapo-
transpiration, erosion, sediment transport
• In what ways do roads alter the hydrologic
cycle?
• Edge Effects – road corridors create diverse
microhabitats for plants and animals
• Changes in light, temperature, and soil
moisture
• Comparison between 5 m and 50 m into forest
• Ecological Succession

24. Discussion Questions
• What are some of the obvious physical consequences
of road building on the physical environment? How do
these consequences change between habitat types
(Forests? Mountainous terrain? Wetlands?)
• In Road Ecology: Science and Solutions the conceptual
foundations of road ecology are stated as water and
water flows, followed by microclimate, wind, and
atmospheric effects; vegetation and biodiversity;
populations and wildlife; and landscape ecology and
habitat fragmentation. In your opinion, which of these
conceptual foundations should be the focus of efforts
to mitigate the environmental impacts of roads? How
does your opinion change when comparing Amazonia
versus other habitats and landscapes?

25. Impacts of roads on aquatic habitats
and wetlands
Trombulak & Frissell. 2000
http://www.southernenvironment.org/cases/coastal_timberlands_ga/

26. Bibliography
• Florida Wildlife Corridor. (2012). The Wild Foundation. Retrieved from:
http://www.floridawildlifecorridor.org/.
• Forman et al. 2003. Road Ecology: Science and Solutions. Island Press: Washington D.C., USA. pg. 3-99
• Foster, M. L. & Humphrey, S. R. (1995). Use of highway underpasses by Florida panthers and other
wildlife. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 23(1): 95-100.
• Jensen, D., Sherwood, K., & Flemming, L. (2010). The I-75 project: lessons from the Florida panther. Safe
Passages. Island Press: US, 205-222.
• Jones, J. A., Swanson, F. J., Wemple, B. C., & Snyder, K. U. (2000). Effects of roads on hydrology,
geomorphology, and disturbance patches in stream networks. Conservation Biology. 14(1): 76-85.
• Kerely, L. L., Goodrich, J. M., Miquelle, D. G., Smirnov, E. N., Quigley, H. B., & Hornocker, M. G. (2002).
Effects of roads and human distrubance on Amur tigers. Conservation Biology. 16(1): 97-106.
• Parendes, L. A. & Jones, J. A. (2000). Role of light availability and dispersal in exotic plant invasion along
roads and streams in the HJ Andrews Experimental Forest, Oregon, Conservation Biology. 14(1): 64-75.
• Trombulak, S. C. and Frissell, C. A. (2000), Review of Ecological Effects of Roads on Terrestrial and Aquatic
Communities. Conservation Biology, 14: 18–30
• Watterson, N. A. & Jones, J. A. (2006). Flood and debris flow interactions with roads promote the invasion
of exotic plants along steep mountain streams, western Oregon. Geomorphology. 78: 107-123.
• Wildlife Conservation Society: Russia. (2011). The amur tiger: conservation threats. Wildlife Conservation
Society. Retrieved from:
www.wcsrussia.org/Wildlife/AmurTigers/ConservationThreats/tabid/1468/language/en-US/Default.aspx.