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Fang YH, Gao Y, Yang Y, Tan K, Li YP, Ren GP, Huang ZP, Cui LW, Xiao W. Effects of reflective warning markers on wildlife. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7614. [PMID: 31534852 PMCID: PMC6730532 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Light pollution has become one of the top issues in environmental pollution, especially concerning how secondary light pollution, such as from traffic reflective materials, influences animal distribution and behavior. In this study, 15 camera traps were set up at sites with or without reflective warning markers (RWM) in coniferous forests on Cangshan Mountain located in Dali Prefecture, China. The results showed that the number of independent photographs and species at sites without RWMs were significantly higher than those at sites with RWMs. Significant differences were found between daytime and nighttime composition of bird species and non-flying mammals between two sites. This study found that RWMs had negative effects on wildlife, with the avoidance response of birds to RWMs being more obvious than that of animals at daytime. It is recommended that the use of reflective materials be carefully considered, especially in protected areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Hao Fang
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Provincial Innovation Team of Biodiversity Conservation and Utility of the Three Parallel Rivers Region from Dali University, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Yunnan Education Department on Er'hai Catchment Conservation and Sustainable Development, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Faculty of Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Ying Gao
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Provincial Innovation Team of Biodiversity Conservation and Utility of the Three Parallel Rivers Region from Dali University, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Yunnan Education Department on Er'hai Catchment Conservation and Sustainable Development, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Faculty of Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Yin Yang
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Provincial Innovation Team of Biodiversity Conservation and Utility of the Three Parallel Rivers Region from Dali University, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Yunnan Education Department on Er'hai Catchment Conservation and Sustainable Development, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,School of Archaeology & Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Kun Tan
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Provincial Innovation Team of Biodiversity Conservation and Utility of the Three Parallel Rivers Region from Dali University, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Yunnan Education Department on Er'hai Catchment Conservation and Sustainable Development, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Yan-Peng Li
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Provincial Innovation Team of Biodiversity Conservation and Utility of the Three Parallel Rivers Region from Dali University, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Yunnan Education Department on Er'hai Catchment Conservation and Sustainable Development, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Guo-Peng Ren
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Provincial Innovation Team of Biodiversity Conservation and Utility of the Three Parallel Rivers Region from Dali University, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Yunnan Education Department on Er'hai Catchment Conservation and Sustainable Development, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Zhi-Pang Huang
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Provincial Innovation Team of Biodiversity Conservation and Utility of the Three Parallel Rivers Region from Dali University, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Yunnan Education Department on Er'hai Catchment Conservation and Sustainable Development, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Liang-Wei Cui
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Provincial Innovation Team of Biodiversity Conservation and Utility of the Three Parallel Rivers Region from Dali University, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Yunnan Education Department on Er'hai Catchment Conservation and Sustainable Development, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Faculty of Biodiversity Conservation and Utilization, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Wen Xiao
- Institute of Eastern-Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center for Biodiversity and Conservation in the Three Parallel Rivers Region of China, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Provincial Innovation Team of Biodiversity Conservation and Utility of the Three Parallel Rivers Region from Dali University, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China.,The Key Laboratory of Yunnan Education Department on Er'hai Catchment Conservation and Sustainable Development, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
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Benten A, Hothorn T, Vor T, Ammer C. Wildlife warning reflectors do not mitigate wildlife-vehicle collisions on roads. ACCIDENT; ANALYSIS AND PREVENTION 2018; 120:64-73. [PMID: 30096449 DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Revised: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife-vehicle collisions cause human fatalities and enormous economic and ecological losses on roads worldwide. A variety of mitigation measures have been developed over the past decades to separate traffic and wildlife, warn humans, or prevent wildlife from entering a road while vehicles are passing by, but only few are economical enough to be applied comprehensively. One such measure, wildlife warning reflectors, has been implemented over the past five decades. However, their efficacy is questioned because of contradictory study results and the variety of applied study designs and reflector models. We used a prospective, randomized non-superiority cross-over study design to test our hypothesis of the inefficacy of modern wildlife warning reflectors. We analyzed wildlife-vehicle collisions on 151 testing sites of approximately 2 km in length each. During the 24-month study period, 1984 wildlife-vehicle collisions were recorded. Confirmatory primary and exploratory secondary analyses using a log-link Poisson mixed model with normal nested random intercepts of observation year in road segment, involved species, and variables of the road segment and the surrounding environment showed that reflectors did not lower the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions by a relevant amount. In addition, variables of the road segment and the surrounding environment did not indicate differential effects of wildlife warning reflectors. Based on our results, we conclude that wildlife warning reflectors are not an effective tool for mitigating wildlife-vehicle collisions on roads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Benten
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Forest Sciences, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Torsten Hothorn
- Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention Institute, University of Zürich, Hirschengraben 84, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Torsten Vor
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Forest Sciences, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christian Ammer
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Forest Sciences, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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