Roadkill as a threat to global mammal conservation.

The ongoing expansion of the global road network and the associated growth in traffic intensity represent a threat for many vertebrate species. With 25 million kilometres of new roads expected by 2050, largely in developing countries with exceptional biological diversity, we urgently need to understand how roadkill (mortality from collisions with vehicles) impacts wildlife. Here we present a new framework combining a global dataset of observed roadkill rates, life-history data, and geographic distribution maps to identify which terrestrial mammal species worldwide may be at risk of extinction from roadkill and the world regions where these vulnerable species occur. We compiled a total of 1310 roadkill rate records of 392 different mammalian species from 177 references. We found that populations of four species may be at risk of extinction if observed roadkill levels persist on the roads around the studied areas: maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus, little spotted cat Leopardus tigrinus (both in Brazil), brown hyena Hyaena brunnea (Southern Africa) and leopard Panthera pardus (North India). The global assessment for 4,664 mammals revealed that roads can pose a threat to both common, non-threatened species, as well as to mammals already threatened by other human activities. Species vulnerable to roadkill and higher road densities coincide in South Africa, Ghana, central and Southeast Asia, parts of the Malay Archipelago and the Andean regions. Worryingly, these are areas with high biodiversity and likely to see road expansion in the future. Our study emphasizes the need to extend research beyond roadkill counts to evaluate the long-term consequences of this added mortality. The proposed framework offers a tool to identify species for which road mortality can increase risk of extinction and thus, can be useful to prioritize conservation and mitigation efforts.

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Date of creation 2024-09-17
Date of last revision 2024-09-17
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Metadata identifier 2bf66e40-fd2f-51c9-8786-0c544e74c109
Metadata language Spanish
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ISO 19115 topic category biota
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INSPIRE identifier ESPMITECOIEPNBFRAGM708
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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. 2020 IENE International Conference. Abstract book. Vol. 4.2.1
  2. Num. 6
  3. pag. 82
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Name of the dataset creator Grilo, C., Borda-de-Agua, L., Beja, P., Goolsby, E., Soanes, K., le Roux, A., Koroleva, E., Ferreira, F.Z., Gagné, S.A., Wang, Y. y González-Suárez, M.
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