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Otero BF, Herranz J, Malo JE. Bird flight behavior, collision risk and mitigation options at high-speed railway viaducts. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 902:166253. [PMID: 37574054 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
High-speed railway (HSR) networks are rapidly expanding and are predicted to continue to grow over coming decades. However, there is scant knowledge of their environmental impacts. Their possible effects on bird mortality, particularly at viaducts, gives especial cause for concern. This work presents the results of a nine-month monitoring of bird activity in the vicinity of three HSR viaducts in Central Spain. The study focused on the effects of the infrastructure regarding bird frequentation of the site and on bird flight activity in the danger zone for collision with passing trains. The findings show (i) that bird communities may differ markedly between sites and (ii) that bird activity increases near the railway together with changes in relative species abundances. Furthermore, (iii) birds show a significant tendency to avoid flying across the danger zone, but (iv) all kinds of birds are at a real risk of collisions with trains at viaducts. The greatest danger is at viaduct extremes rather than in their central section, particularly during gusts of wind and for small or medium-sized birds. It also appears that relatively low viaducts might pose greater risk. In practical terms, these results (i) emphasise the need for thorough prior prospection of bird species present, and their flight patterns, where new viaducts are to be built, (ii) show that there is a real risk of bird collisions with trains at viaducts, which should be mitigated, with particular attention due to viaduct extremes and areas where their height is not much above the surrounding vegetation and (iii) strongly indicate the need to minimise viaduct features that may attract birds to them, for example as potential nest sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- B F Otero
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG-UAM), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C Darwin 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - J Herranz
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG-UAM), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C Darwin 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C Darwin 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - J E Malo
- Terrestrial Ecology Group (TEG-UAM), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C Darwin 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Cambio Global (CIBC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C Darwin 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
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Ahmed R, Saikia A. Pandora’s Box: A spatiotemporal assessment of elephant-train casualties in Assam, India. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0271416. [PMID: 35830377 PMCID: PMC9278769 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Railways are an indispensable component of sustainable transportation systems, but also exact a toll on wildlife. Wild Asian elephants are often killed by trains in Assam, India, where we assess temporal variations in the occurrences of elephant-train collisions (ETCs) and casualties during 1990–2018. This study also assesses spatially varying relationships between elephant-train collision (ETC) rates and elephant and train densities in the adjoining 10 km2 grid cells of 11 prioritized railroad segments using ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models. The temporal analysis indicated that ETCs spiked at certain hours and months. The adult and calf elephant casualties on the railroads were found to be two to fivefold high during the post monsoon season compared to other seasons. During the operation period of meter gauge railroads (1990–1997), the proportions of ETCs and casualties were only 15.6% and 8.7% respectively. However, these increased substantially to 84.4% and 91.3% respectively during the operation of broad gauge railroads (1998–2018). The OLS model indicated that both elephant and train densities explained 37% of the variance of ETC rate, while GWR model showed 83% of the variance of ETC rate. The local coefficient values of GWR indicated that both the predictor variables interplayed significantly and positively to determine ETC rates in the Mariani-Nakachari and Khatkhati-Dimapur railroad segments. However, the relationship between ETC rate and elephant density is significantly negative in the Habaipur-Diphu railroad, implying that the elephant population along this railroad stretch is significantly affected by railways through large scale ETCs. Hence, there is an urgent need to address long-term mitigation strategies so that elephants can be conserved by providing safe passages and survival resources along railway lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rekib Ahmed
- Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati, India
| | - Anup Saikia
- Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati, India
- * E-mail:
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Tisler TR, Teixeira FZ, Nóbrega RA. Conservation opportunities and challenges in Brazil's roadless and railroad-less areas. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabi5548. [PMID: 35245118 PMCID: PMC8896799 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi5548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Policy and legislation rarely acknowledge the importance of keeping intact ecosystems road- and railroad-free. By modeling Brazil's remaining roadless and railroad-less (RLRL) areas, we found that, although they hold the vast majority of the country's remaining native vegetation (81.5%), because of their limited protection status, only 38% of Brazil's remaining native vegetation is both protected and in RLRL areas. Current federal policy aims to develop transportation infrastructure designed with antiquated planning methods that threaten remaining intact ecosystems, while concurrently weakening the country's hallmark environmental protections and commitments. Where Brazil builds its new roads and railroads matters for conservation planning. The occurrence of native vegetation and anthropic land use is associated, at varying degrees, to transportation infrastructure throughout most of Brazil. We highlight that by pursuing conservation opportunities in RLRL areas, Brazil could instead make impactful steps for conservation, restoration planning, and tangible progress toward achieving national and international environmental and conservation commitments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor R. Tisler
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Análise e Modelagem de Sistemas Ambientais, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Transportation Research and Environmental Modeling (TREM) Group, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Z. Teixeira
- Transportation Research and Environmental Modeling (TREM) Group, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
- Núcleo de Ecologia de Rodovias e Ferrovias, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A.A. Nóbrega
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Análise e Modelagem de Sistemas Ambientais, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Transportation Research and Environmental Modeling (TREM) Group, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Pop DR, Maier ARM, Cadar AM, Cicort-Lucaciu AŞ, Ferenţi S, Cupşa D. Slower than the Trains! Railway Mortality Impacts Especially Snails on a Railway in the Apuseni Mountains, Romania. ANN ZOOL FENN 2020. [DOI: 10.5735/086.057.0123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R. Pop
- University of Oradea, Doctoral School of Biomedical Sciences, Domain: Biology, Universităţii 1, RO-410087 Oradea, Romania
| | - Alexandra R. M. Maier
- University of Oradea, Faculty of Informatics and Sciences, Department of Biology, Universităţii 1, RO-410087, Romania
| | - Achim M. Cadar
- University of Oradea, Faculty of Informatics and Sciences, Department of Biology, Universităţii 1, RO-410087, Romania
| | - Alfred Ş. Cicort-Lucaciu
- University of Oradea, Faculty of Informatics and Sciences, Department of Biology, Universităţii 1, RO-410087, Romania
| | - Sára Ferenţi
- University of Oradea, Faculty of Informatics and Sciences, Department of Biology, Universităţii 1, RO-410087, Romania
| | - Diana Cupşa
- University of Oradea, Faculty of Informatics and Sciences, Department of Biology, Universităţii 1, RO-410087, Romania
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Dasoler BT, Kindel A, Beduschi J, Biasotto LD, Dornas RAP, Gonçalves LO, Lombardi PM, Menger T, de Oliveira GS, Teixeira FZ. The need to consider searcher efficiency and carcass persistence in railway wildlife fatality studies. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-020-01417-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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