Endangered Wildlife Trust’s initiative highlights effects of transport on wildlife
In an effort to create awareness surrounding the issue of wildlife being killed on roads, the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) has adopted a new initiative to get the public involved.
EWT’s Wildlife and Transport Programme (WTP) is working to reduce the negative impact of transport infrastructure on biodiversity.
As part of the programme, it has asked members of the public to send in pictures of animals they spot on roads and railways.
Since 2010, EWT has been gathering data on wildlife road mortalities (roadkill), a very challenging subject to get members of the public involved as they find the images disturbing and too explicit.
Wendy Collinson-Jonker, manager of the programme, said, “This is a new approach that I am adopting to try and raise awareness, which seems to be more effective. Transport networks, in this instance roads and railways, are critical elements of human economic development and society, and global rates of transport construction will likely rise for the foreseeable future, particularly in Africa.”
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With these networks, however, come numerous and mostly negative consequences for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, according to Collinson-Jonker. She said measuring these costs to biodiversity is difficult to quantify, and rarely calculated during the design phase of many transport projects.
“So, what are the consequences for biodiversity – our native wildlife and flora? Since 2013, our organisation’s WTP has been tackling this question through finding solutions to the problems associated with wildlife and transport infrastructure, both across South Africa and other African countries.
“Primarily focusing on terrestrial vertebrates that are impacted by roads and railways, the WTP collaborates with several stakeholders within the transport sector, academia and other NGOs, creating partnerships to create a biodiversity-friendly transport infrastructure.”
Common species affected are mainly mammals such as the serval, black-backed jackal, scrub hare and civet. Owls are the most common birds, while pythons and adders are the most common reptiles.
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“We do not get many amphibians, as they tend not to be reported because they disappear so quickly,” said Collinson-Jonker.
The programme has over 30 000 data points for the country, about a quarter of which are in Mpumalanga.
Some of the photos received from the EWT’s Wildlife and Transport Programme
