RARE CARNIVORES AND HIGHWAYS - MOVING INTO THE 21ST CENTURY

A serious conservation issue facing rare carnivores (grizzly bear, gray wolf, wolverine, lynx, fisher) is the impacts created by highways. Carnivores are vulnerable to highways because of their large spatial requirements, which require frequent crossings of busy roads. Several carnivores also have low reproductive productivity, which can contribute to their extirpation. Highways are habitat and ecosystem issues. Highways affect carnivores by creating serious habitat fragmentation, increasing direct and indirect mortality, habitat loss, displacement and avoidance, and accelerating associated human developments. The impacts of highways on carnivores are permanent and severe. Rare carnivores face serious threats or eventual extirpation in the lower 48 states and southern Canada if highway issues are not addressed and solved. Presently, little or no emphasis is placed on highway impacts by land management agencies, wildlife agencies, conservation organizations or highway agencies. Suggested priorities for reducing highway impacts on carnivores include: (1) Development and implementation of national policies requiring Federal Highway Administration and land management agencies to address highway impacts on wildlife species - particularly rare carnivores; (2) Better highway planning and coordination standards; (3) Identification and management of critical land corridors; (4) Implementation of highway crossing structures for wildlife; and (5) Emphasis on highway research.

• Corporate Authors:

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Ruediger, B
• Conference:
  • International Conference on Wildlife Ecology and Transportation (ICOWET 1998)
  • Location: Fort Myers Florida, United States
  • Date: 1998-2-9 to 1998-2-12
• Publication Date: 1998

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 10-16
• Monograph Title: PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WILDLIFE ECOLOGY AND TRANSPORTATION (ICOWET)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Carnivores; Conservation; Ecosystems; Endangered species; Federal government; Habitat; Highway planning; Highways; Impacts; Land use planning; Policy; Research; Strategic planning; Wildlife crossings
• Geographic Terms: Canada; United States
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting; Policy; Research; I21: Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00784487
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Feb 7 2000 12:00AM