Barriers to fauna-sensitive road design and how we can overcome them

Written by Christopher Johnson

Cities Research Institute, Griffith University

September 19th, 2023

Let us start by saying this…

Linear Transport Infrastructure (LTI) fragments and degrades landscapes and are a major barrier to the movement of wildlife. Fauna-sensitive road design (FSRD) attempts to circumvent this issue through the careful and strategic modification of road design (such as including crossing structures) to provide a safe way for wildlife to cross roads. Importantly, FSRD can, and does, alleviate many of the most serious issues – fragmentation, degradation, and mortality – associated with LTI construction and operation.

The problem, however, is that…

While highly recommended by road ecologists, the application of FSRD in road transport policies and projects has been limited to date. Indeed, very few studies have sought to explore the science-policy interface between FSRD and LTI planning. This is a critical area where road ecology science meets the real world. Recent research suggests, however, that the overall integration of ecological research and principles into LTI planning and management has been challenging, in part due to the high demand for technological solutions to achieve political and community project values. Moreover, FSRD policies, at least among European Union member states, do not necessarily reflect supra-national level policies, nor align with the policies of neighbouring nations. Meanwhile, biodiversity loss has continued to decline rapidly despite an overall increase in protected areas. A greater understanding of the science-policy interface of FSRD is needed if we are to design and build better roads that achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

With this perspective in mind, we performed a systematic review of the transport policy and planning literature to synthesise and articulate the latest research (2016-2021) environmental management to identify:

1. the extent to which road ecology principles, especially wildlife movement, are considered in LTI projects;

2. the conditions that have facilitated and/or impeded environmental policy transfer and uptake in LTI projects; and,

3. planning tools to aid transport policy- and decision-makers in the implementation of FSRD.

Fauna movement and FSRD were more-or-less absent from transport planning and policy literature

Of the 119 peer-reviewed articles identified, most (74%) examined European policies and/or projects and almost none acknowledged the detrimental impacts of LTI on wildlife, wildlife movement, or the measures to mitigate these (i.e., FSRD). Moreover, there was limited research available to allow us to evaluate the extent to which FSRD measures were integrated into road projects by transport policy- and decision-makers. This was, however, unlikely from analysis of the broader literature on the integration of environmental and transport policies, and centred on four key issues:

1. overriding economic interests – roads are important for economic growth;

2. political motivations – policy-makers will act on salient issues to maintain office and power;

3. pathway dependency – actors may favour the application of a policy over its outcome;

4. statutory weakness – inconsistent terminology and structuring within policies may allow for multiple interpretations that affect their application.

Together, these create conflicts that constrain institutional thinking – factors that influence a transport policy- and decision-makers’ ability to absorb new information – and conflicts that constrain institutional processes – factors that limit the transposition and influence of established policies.

Ecological Support Tools can overcome these barriers

Like many other environmental problems, wildlife movements can be challenging to account for in LTI projects. Numerous ecological support tools have been developed that enhance the capture and integration of environmental aspects, like FSRD, in road design, construction, and operation. For example:

• Multi-Criteria Decision Making / Analysis can be used to evaluate environmental concerns in situations where there may be issues with data uncertainty/ambiguity;

• InVEST, a habitat quality model, facilitates the inclusion of ecosystems services in decision-making processes; and,

• Effective mesh-size, a versatile and modifiable mathematical model, can visualise wildlife settlement and habitat networks.

Wider adoption of these and the myriad of other tools in environmental policies would facilitate enhanced and broader uptake and adoption of FSRD measures in the design and construction of LTI. Specifically, such tools would assist transport agencies and consultants to design more sustainable road transport systems that, in turn, would provide construction companies with improved guidance.

What is needed?

There was some evidence to indicate that current FSRD policies are not well-integrated, nor aligned, with transportation infrastructure policy. ‘Action-oriented’ research is needed to remedy this and target:

1. examination and critical appraisal of current FSRD policies; and,

2. evaluation of practitioners’ (i.e., designers, planners, consultants, etc.) and researchers’ overall familiarity with FSRD policy and experience in their application.

Substantive institutional change is needed, especially in relation to transport planning practices. This necessitates suitable policies that are informed by research and user experience. The approach outlined above would allow road ecologists to help transport practitioners identify and develop novel solutions to navigate the current barriers and pitfalls in the adoption and application of FSRD policies. Ultimately, this could pave the way for the construction of more sustainable transport networks.

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Author information

Christopher Johnson

Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

Source citation

Johnson, C. D., Matthews, T., Burke, M., & Jones, D. (2022). Planning for fauna-sensitive road design: A review. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 10. doi:10.3389/fenvs.2022.959918

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Editor:

Fernanda Teixera

Cite this summary:

Johnson, C.D. (2023). Barriers to fauna-sensitive road design and how we can overcome them. Edited by Teixera, F. TransportEcology.info, Accessed at: https://transportecology.info/research/overcome-barriers-to-fauna-sensitive-design