Risk Assessment - Wildlife Vehicle Collisions
The Goal:
To identify possible wildlife linkages early in the process of establishing a new highway.
The Issue:
In many states, identifying wildlife crossings and wildlife habitat linkage has become a “standard procedure” when building new highways, or undertaking other major highway construction projects. However, most major highway projects often have significant resources expended before wildlife and fish habitat linkage information is known; while, defining wildlife and fish habitat linkages far ahead of project designs is expensive and the information is often not provided until long after the information was needed. As a result, most highway projects in most states are developed without knowledge of where wildlife and fish crossings, as well as other mitigation, should be focused. Many wildlife and fish crossing opportunities are lost because the basic biological information needed does not exist and has previously been too expensive to obtain. In several situations, highway projects have been delayed or have cost above planned budgets.
The Solution:
Use existing mapped physical and biological information, plus available knowledge of biologists, highway planners and others, to provide accurate information on where most of the critical wildlife and fish habitat linkages are located.
The Example: A Rapid Assessment Process for Determining Potential Wildlife, Fish and Plant Linkages for Highways.
The process of identifying fish and wildlife linkages is based on the use of spatially explicit, computerized data contained within a geographic information system (GIS). GIS data layers are available from most state GAP databases (US Fish and Wildlife Service), U.S. Forest Service, State Fish and Wildlife Departments, State Natural Heritage Programs, State Departments of Transportations, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and several other sources. The rapid assessment process uses readily-available public geographic information system data on vegetation, habitats, wildlife, fish, road kill, rare plant communities, topography, hydrology, land ownership patterns, existing conservation easements and point data on special habitats and species occurrences. An interagency group of local wildlife and fish experts was able to review approximately 200 miles of the 290-mile corridor in less than two days. Forty-eight potential wildlife and fish linkage areas were mapped and reported by milepost. The linkage areas are species and location specific. Some wildlife linkage areas were identified primarily from high vehicle collision rates with large ungulates (highway safety). The process is designed as a mid-scale analysis. It has value for initial determination of wildlife and fish linkage areas, potential wildlife and fish highway crossings, identification of key areas for wildlife and fish mitigation, potential areas for open space, conservations easements or land adjustments to benefit wildlife, fish and plant habitats. Involvement included county, state, federal agencies and non-profit conservation interests. Use of the process could substantially improve wildlife and fish coordination with highway planning throughout the United States and Canada. The process is cost effective, fast and accurate.
The Result
Using existing data along with the expertise of area biologists allowed planners to identify potential hotspots quickly and economically.
References:
Ruediger, B. and J. Lloyd, 2003, A Rapid Assessment Process for Determining Potential Wildlife, Fish and Plant Linkages for Highways. Proceedings of the 2003 International Conference on Ecology & Transportation
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