IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library
   

 

View printer friendly
Mohammadi, A.; Kaboli, M.
Evaluating wildlife-vehicle collision hotspots using kernel-based estimation: a focus on the endangered Asiatic cheetah in central Iran
2016  Human-Wildlife Interactions (10): 103-109

The transportation networks within and adjacent to protected areas degrade natural habitats and contribute to a higher risk of mortality through roadkill. Following years of unplanned and unsustainable road network development in Iran, the protected areas of significant biodiversity value have suffered from such phenomenon. Yazd Province, one of Iran's important biodiversity reservoirs for large mammals, especially the Asiatic cheetah (_Acinonyx jubatus venaticus_), has witnessed a noticeable rate of road expansion along with an associated anthropogenic development. A large percentage (7 out of 50-70) of Asiatic cheetahs has been lost due to vehicle collisions in the region over the last decade. In this study, we employed a well-known spatially-explicit algorithm for density-based calculation of collision locations, adopting kernel density estimation method. We evaluated the location of 31 wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVCs) from 2007 to 2011, including 12 Persian gazelle (_Gazella subgutturosa_), 6 Asiatic cheetah, 5 striped hyena (_Hyaena hyaena_), 5 golden jackal (_Canis aureus_), 2 caracal (_Caracal caracal_), and 1 gray wolf (_Canis lupus_). Our results detected 4 hotspots of vehicle collisions in the Kalmand-Bahadoran Protected Area. The findings of this study could be employed to protect the populations of the Asiatic cheetah and other threatened species in this area. Potential mitigation strategies proposed include: wildlife warning sign usage, increasing public awareness, traffic devices to reduce vehicle speed in dangerous areas, utilization of warning lights for drivers, and improved crossing structures.

PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here

 

(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union)