Evidence that a highway reduces apparent survival rates of squirrel gliders

SC McCall; MA McCarthy; R van der Ree; MJ Harper; S Cesarini; K Soanes

Journal article

Evidence that a highway reduces apparent survival rates of squirrel gliders

SC McCall, MA McCarthy, R van der Ree, MJ Harper, S Cesarini, K Soanes

Ecology and Society | RESILIENCE ALLIANCE | Published : 2010

DOI: 10.5751/ES-03445-150327

Abstract

Roads and traffic are prominent components of most landscapes throughout the world, and their negative effects on the natural environment can extend for hundreds or thousands of meters beyond the road. These effects include mortality of wildlife due to collisions with vehicles, pollution of soil and air, modification of wildlife behavior in response to noise, creation of barriers to wildlife movement, and establishment of dispersal conduits for some plant and animal species. In southeast Australia, much of the remaining habitat for the squirrel glider, Petaurus norfolcensis, is located in narrow strips of Eucalyptus woodland that is adjacent to roads and streams, as well as in small patches ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Michael McCarthy Author

Rodney van der Ree Author

Kylie Soanes Author

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Grants

Awarded by Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, Australian Research Council

Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

This research was supported by The Baker Foundation, the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology, Australian Research Council grants (LP0560443 and DP0985600), the Applied Environmental Decision Analysis hub of the Commonwealth Environment Research Facility, VicRoads, and the New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority. We thank J. Carey, P. Vesk, A. Taylor, P. Sunnucks, and M. Burgman for comments on various aspects of this research. In addition, we appreciate the comments provided by three anonymous reviewers. Fieldwork was approved by University of Melbourne Animal Ethics Committee: 05141 and 0810924, and the Department of Sustainability and Environment issued trapping permits: 10003061 and 10004763.