![]() They conducted a cost-benefit analysis that computed the average cost of installation with the average life span of the structures, data demonstrating how effective they are in mitigating collisions, and data quantifying the average cost of collisions. In one study, scientists were even able to identify specific thresholds at which crossing structures become a cost-effective way to reduce collisions between vehicles and large ungulates (deer, elk, and moose). In addition to protecting the lives of animals and humans, there is another reason we should consider building more crossing structures: They can save money. Tony Clevenger/Parks Canada They are cost-effective A pair of grizzly bears using an animal overpass in Banff National Park. After crossing structures were installed, data shows that grizzlies began using them to cross between opposite sides of the highway, and the fragmented population began to reconnect. Bear populations were divided into isolated small groups that had fewer potential breeding partners and therefore lacked genetic diversity. In Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, the dissection of habitat by the Trans-Canada Highway had restricted the movement of grizzly bears. If events such as a forest fire damage strain resources on one side of the highway, the effect is even more acute. They reconnect wildlife habitatsīesides the risk for roadkill, roads harm animals by fragmenting their habitats and making it difficult to find food, mates, and other essentials of life. ![]() Several studies have shown that mitigation systems involving crossing structures, where they have been installed correctly, have reduced collisions between vehicles and various animal species by upward of 70 percent. There are relatively few wildlife crossings in the United States compared with Western Europe and Canada, but here are a few reasons we might consider building more: Crossing structures make driving saferĬrossing structures drastically reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. The crossings resemble overpasses and underpasses built for humans and cars, but they’re meant for animal use only. Wildlife crossings are structures that facilitate animal movement across roadways.
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