Wildlife crossing structures

Wildlife Crossing Structures

By: Emily, Jonny, & Dmitry

BISC 309

General Question: what can we do about habitat fragmentation?

A) Habitat fragmentationB) Habitat avoidanceC) Habitat mitigation using wildlife crossing structures (FOCUS OF PRESENTATION)D) Habitat compensation by creation of replacement habitat nearby

What are wildlife crossing structures?

Types of crossing structures

Cont’d

A complex process

How does this affect conservation?

What?

Where?

Why?

STUDY#1: Wildlife crossing structures promote 'gene flow' in Banff bears

The crossings – there are currently 44 in all – form the most extensive system of wildlife crossing structures on the planet

A sow grizzly and a cub are seen on a wildlife overpass above the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park

A grizzly bear passes through a hair-snagging system used to study the DNA of bears using a wildlife overpass above the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park

Bear using a wildlife underpass to avoid the TCH

These wildlife crossing structures cost millions of dollars and this is one of the first studies that has shown that they are doing what they are intended to do

STUDY#2: Crossing structures reconnect flying squirrel populations divided for 20 years

Why did the flying squirrels cross the road?

Prior to the installation of the crossing structures, flying squirrels would not cross the Skyway. In two years of radio-tracking and trapping, not one squirrel was observed to have crossed the Cherohala Skyway.

LET’S WAIT FOR NO CARS BEFORECROSSING THE ROAD

SAID NO SQUIRRELEVER

Summary Human disturbance has caused habitat fragmentation

Fragmentation increases the chance for species extinction by:

Increasing inbreeding

Loss of genetic diversity decreasing fitness

Reducing ability of populations to adapt to change

Research shows that crossing structures do what they are intended to do

Wildlife crossing structures mitigate the effects of fragmentation by:

Promoting gene flow (migration)

Increasing genetic diversity increasing fitness

Preserving wildlife welfare

Questions?

Photo Sources:Title Page:

http://nextdoornature.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/wildlife-crossing-by-antony-stanley-ccl.jpg

http://arc-solutions.org/new-thinking/

Page 2:

http://environment.fhwa.dot.gov/WVCtraining/mod8/module_8_3.asp

Page 3:

http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/researchers-study-montana-wildlife-crossings-for-use-on-chinese-roads/article_cd0fad02-f24d-11e1-9feb-001a4bcf887a.html

Page 4:

http://transition.arc-solutions.org/

http://fiesta.bren.ucsb.edu/~corridors/

http://www.humansandnature.org/reweaving-landscape--redesigning-the-road--reconciliing-mobility-article-61.php

Page 5:

https://ksoanesresearch.wordpress.com/tag/wildlife-crossing-structure/

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/hatcheries/nimbus/Facility.asp

Page 6:

arc-solution.org

Page 7:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/technology/grizzly+bear+cubs+cross+road+Banff+National+Park/6954549/story.html

http://www.floridapanther.com/articles/FLORIDA%20PANTHER.htm

Photo SourcesPage 8:

http://www.amusingplanet.com/2012/07/wildlife-crossings-around-world.html

http://www.fws.gov/verobeach/20120817ConservationGrantsNR.html

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/critter_crossings/tortoise.cfm

Page 9:

http://gosoutheast.about.com/od/photoswebcamspodcasts/ig/A-Glimpse-of-Savannah/Savannah-Architectural-Detail.htm

http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090223/full/news.2009.114.html

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/08034/08.cfm

Page 10:

http://www.defenders.org/grizzly-bear/basic-facts

http://westernwildlife.org/cougar-outreach-project/cougar-felis-concolor/

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-27445875

Page 11:

http://www.montana.edu/news/pressroom.php?id=12440

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/content/281/1780/20131705.full.pdf+html

Page 12:

http://www.montana.edu/news/pressroom.php?id=12440

Page 13:

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=a6c842b4-561e-4dfb-b421-b9e4c3dfe576%40sessionmgr113&vid=1&hid=123

Page 14:

http://thenaturalistscorner.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Flying_Squirrel_Poles_Along_the_Skyway.jpg

https://ksoanesresearch.wordpress.com/tag/wildlife-crossing-structures/

Page 16:

http://www.tumblr18.com/t18/2013/10/Polar-bear-waving-hand.jpg

References Gubbi, S. (2011). Safe passages: Highways, wildlife, and habitat connectivity edited by Jon P. Beckmann,

Anthony P. Clevenger, Marcel P. Huijser & Jodi A. Hilty (2010), xix + 396 pp., Island Press, Washington, DC, USA. Chapter 7.

Clevenger, A., & Sawaya, M. (2010). Piloting a non-invasive genetic sampling method for evaluating population-level benefits of wildlife crossing structures. Ecology and Society, 15(1), 7-7.

Ford, T. A., Clevenger, A., & Bennett, A. (2009). Comparison of methods of monitoring wildlife-crossing structures on highways. Journal of Wildlife Management. doi: http://dx.doi.org.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/10.2193/2008-387

Kelly, C.A., Diggins, C.A., Lawrence, A.J. (2013). Crossing structures reconnect federally endangered flying squirrel populations divided for 20 years by road barrier. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 37(2): 375-379

Parks Canada. (2014). Banff national park: wildlife crossing structures and research. Retrieved from: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/banff/plan/transport/tch-rtc/passages-crossings.aspx

Sawaya, M. A., Clevenger, A. P., & Kalinowski, S. T. (2013). Demographic connectivity for ursid populations at wildlife crossing structures in banff national park. Conservation Biology, 27(4), 721-730.

Sawaya, M. A., Kalinowski, S. T., & Clevenger, A. P. (2014). Genetic connectivity for two bear species at wildlife crossing structures in banff national park. Proceedings. Biological Sciences / the Royal Society, 281

Makrakis, S., Castro-Santos, T., Makrakis, M., Wagner, R., & Adames, M. (2012). Culverts in paved roads as suitable passages for neotropical fish species. Neotropical Ichthyology, 10(4), 763-770.

Downs, J., Horner, M., Loraamm, R., Anderson, J., Kim, H., & Onorato, D. (2014). Strategically locating wildlife crossing structures for florida panthers using maximal covering approaches. Transactions in GIS, 18(1), 46-65.