Carnivores. Struggling for survival in roaded landscapes.

Carnivores are a diverse group of wildlife that occur in most environments around the world. Large, wide-ranging carnivores play key ecological roles in natural systems. They regulate population sizes of herbivores and other small- and medium-sized carnivores that in turn affect the growth, structure and composition of plant communities and habitats and the health of the small-animal populations that live in these habitats. Carnivores are particularly susceptible to the impacts of roads because many species require large areas to sustain their populations, have low reproductive output and occur in low densities. 1) Carnivores with large home ranges, long dispersal distances or inability to tolerate human disturbance are particularly vulnerable to the effects of roads and traffic. 2) Threats from roads and traffic such as wildlife-vehicle collisions barriers to movement, habitat disturbance and road avoidance jeopardise the persistence of certain carnivore populations. 3) Road and landscape-related features influence behavioural responses of carnivores to roads, mortality risk and barrier effects. 4) Different types of crossing structures are needed to increase habitat connectivity for the wide diversity of carnivore species. 5) Fencing, when paired with crossing structures, is critical to reducing the negative effects of roads on carnivores. The effects of roads and traffic on carnivores are well understood and vary significantly because of the diversity in their body size, movement ecology, prey selection and habitat preferences. Consequently, carnivores require a diverse suite of mitigation options, many of which have been well studied. Further research is needed to evaluate effects of roads and mitigation success in maintaining genetic integrity that supports long-term viable populations of carnivores.

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Resource type Text
Date of creation 2024-09-17
Date of last revision 2024-09-17
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Metadata identifier 9039a01f-e3a0-5a4b-913c-5af36039d819
Metadata language Spanish
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ISO 19115 topic category biota
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Spatial information
INSPIRE identifier ESPMITECOIEPNBFRAGM594
INSPIRE Themes
Geographic identifier Spain
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"{\"type\": \"Polygon\", \"coordinates\": [[[-18.16, 27.64], [4.32, 27.64], [4.32, 43.79], [-18.16, 43.79], [-18.16, 27.64]]]}"
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  1. Handbook of Road Ecology. Vol. 35
  2. pags. 300-312
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Name of the dataset creator Grilo, C., Smith, D.J. y Klar, N.
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