Sustainable Landscape Planning to Mitigate Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions

Road development, traffic intensification, and collisions with wildlife represent a danger both for road safety and species conservation. For planners, deciding which mitigation methods to apply is often problematic. Through a kernel density estimate, we analyzed 715 crossing locations and wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) involving brown bears, lynx, wolf, red deer, roe deer, and wild boar in the Southeastern Carpathian Mountains. We identified 25 WVC hotspots, of which eight require urgent mitigation of existing infrastructure. Moreover, many of these hotspots are in Natura 2000 sites, along road sections where vegetation is in close proximity, animal movement is the highest, and driver visibility is low. Our study is the first in Romania to recommend practical solutions to remediate WVC hotspots and benefit sustainable landscape management.

Automated summary

The study used kernel density estimation to analyze 715 crossing locations and wildlife-vehicle collisions in the Southeastern Carpathian Mountains, identifying 25 hotspots requiring urgent mitigation. Many of these hotspots are located in Natura 2000 sites, characterized by dense vegetation, frequent animal movement, and poor driver visibility.