Modeling the Effect of Traffic Calming on Local Animal Population Persistence

A steady growth in traffic volumes in industrialized countries with dense human populations is expected, especially on minor roads. As a consequence, the fragmentation of wildlife populations will increase dramatically. In human-dominated landscapes, typically minor roads occur in high densities, and animals encounter them frequently. Traffic calming is a new approach to mitigate negative impacts by reducing traffic volumes and speeds on minor roads at a regional scale. This leads to a distinction between roads with low volumes as being part of the traffic-calmed area, whereas roads with bundled traffic are located around this area. Within the traffic-calmed area, volumes and speeds can be decreased substantially; this is predicted to decrease the disturbance and mortality risk for animals. Thus far, data on the effects of traffic calming on wildlife population persistence remain scarce. Using metapopulation theory, the authors derived a model to estimate thresholds in the size of traffic-calmed areas and traffic volumes that may allow persistent populations. The model suggests that traffic calming largely increases the persistence of roe deer in a landscape with a dense road network. The modeling results show trade-offs between traffic volume on roads within the traffic-calmed area and both the area of habitat available for this species in the traffic-calmed area and the size of the traffic-calmed area. These results suggest ways to mitigate the fragmentation of wildlife habitat by road networks and their expected traffic volumes.

• Record URL:
  http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol14/iss2/art39/
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/17083087
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2009 Frank van Langevelde and Catharinus F. Jaarsma
• Authors:
  • van Langevelde, Frank
  • Jaarsma, Catharinus F
• Publication Date: 2009-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 1-14
• Serial:
  • Ecology and Society
  • Volume: 14
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: Resilience Alliance Publications
  • ISSN: 1708-3087
  • Serial URL: http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Animals; Habitat (Ecology); Roadside fauna; Traffic calming; Traffic volume
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01496507
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 25 2013 10:05AM