Evaluation of mitigation measures for reducing wildlife roadkills on SP-613, Parque Estadual Morro do Diabo

• Grant number: 23/17693-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: February 01, 2024
• End date: July 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Nature Conservation
• Principal Investigator: Katia Maria Paschoaletto Micchi de Barros Ferraz
• Grantee: Anna Beatriz Queiroz di Souza
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Despite being crucial for socioeconomic and regional development, highways, especially in Conservation Units, threaten fauna by interrupting ecological flows and causing deaths due to collisions, generating notable impacts on the conservation of threatened species. This study will seek to evaluate the effectiveness of fauna run-over mitigation measures implemented on the SP-613 highway in Parque Estadual Morro do Diabo (PEMD). Two camera traps will be installed in each of the nine fauna underpasses (PIFs) existing in the stretch, evaluating whether species use these structures to make safe crossings. Monitoring of roadkill fauna will be carried out along the road, for a continuous period of six months, in sections with existing fences and in sections where new fences will be installed (April 2024), covering 100 m on each side of its ends, twice a day, for five days a week. Analyzes will be carried out for the entire period, comparing data collected before and after the new enclosures. 36 camera traps will also be installed and will remain in the field, one at each end of the fences, 24 hours a day, for eight months. Using the BACI (Before-After-Control-Impact) method, the data collected will make it possible to compare the results before and after the implementation of new fences and in sections with and without fences, analyzing their effectiveness and fence-ending effects. To evaluate the probabilities of finding animal carcasses before and after the installation of new fences and between sections with mitigation measures (impact) and without (control), a comparison will be made between the interaction of period (before/after) and type section (control/impact). To monitor road-killed fauna, in addition to the fenced area, 37 km will be covered along the highway, between sections on foot (average speed of 4 km/h) and by vehicle (maximum speed of 40 km/h), collecting information date, time, geographic coordinates, popular and scientific name of each carcass found, in addition to photographic records. To calculate the daily run-over rate on the stretch, the number of registered run-overs will be divided by the kilometer sampled per day. The KDE+ software will be used to analyze the spatial distribution of pedestrian collisions, identifying critical areas for pedestrian accidents. It is expected to determine the effectiveness of existing and new mitigation measures by calculating pedestrian collision rates and PIF use rates. These results could support the development of public policies that prioritize user and wildlife safety.