THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RARE CARNIVORES AND HIGHWAYS

One of the most severe conservation issues facing rare carnivores (grizzly bear, Ursus arctos; gray wolf, Canis lupus; wolverine, Gulo gulo; lynx, Lynx canadensis; fisher, Martes pennanti; and the eastern cougar, Puma concolor) is the impact created by highways. There is a paucity of information relative to highway impacts on rare carnivores, and how to effectively mitigate these impacts. Carnivores are particularly vulnerable to highway habitat fragmentation because of the large spatial requirements of individuals and populations. Large spatial needs require individual animals to regularly cross busy highways. Highways are habitat issues that need to be addressed by land management, wildlife management and highway departments at all levels. Highways adversely affect carnivores by increasing direct and indirect mortality, displacement of animals and avoidance of habitat near highways, habitat fragmentation, direct habitat loss and habitat loss due to associated human developments. The impacts on carnivores resulting from upgrading and newly paved roads is permanent and severe. The author hypothesizes that: (1) There is an increasing adverse effect on carnivores as the standard of road or highway increases; and (2) The extirpation of carnivores in the lower 48 states is partially a factor of highway densities. Resolving carnivore/highway conflicts will require more coordination at the highway planning and reconstruction phases, more involvement of wildlife biologists in highway planning, educating wildlife biologists, highway engineers and the public on the crisis relating to carnivore conservation and highways, adaptive management, monitoring and more research.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Features: Figures; References;
  • Pagination: p. 24-38

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00745652
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-PD-96-041
  • Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Jan 30 1998 12:00AM