Abstract

STASIUKYNAS, Diana Carolina et al. Roads to the sea: A Case Study on the Impacts on Wildlife and the Environment from Two Contemporary Roads of Colombia. Trilogía. Cienc. Tecnol. Soc. [online]. 2021, vol.13, n.24, pp.6-31.  Epub Mar 17, 2022. ISSN 2145-7778.  https://doi.org/10.22430/21457778.1637.

Road construction in or near natural areas has been identified as a major cause of habitat loss and fragmentation worldwide. In the department of Valle del Cauca, Colombia, two road corridors in different stages of development run from the city of Cali to the Buenaventura seaport. A research project was developed in two phases to evaluate and quantify the impacts these roads have on the wild fauna populations in the area: corridor modeling and field validation. Interactions between wildlife populations and these road corridors were evaluated and quantified by modelling the corridors with information from geographic information systems (GIS) supported by field data on drainage structures, road traffic jams and photo-trapping records. Four priority crossing areas were identified for nine mammal species. After evaluating 738 road structures, 19 species were recorded using these road structures and 38 species were run over on both roads. These roads differ in structures and layouts, however, their problems are shared, such as the lack of pre-existing road structures suitable for the passage of fauna, their use as a refuge and the poorly structured development on their periphery are the causes of the barrier effect that limits connectivity and gene flow of animals in this area.

Keywords : Road kills; habitat connectivity; biological corridor; road ecology; sustainable development; model validation.

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