Selected fragments of road corridors as environmental barriers

Solon, Jerzy

doi:1429-7132

Download

Title: Selected fragments of road corridors as environmental barriers

Abstract:

In the case of the majority of roads built nowadays, the main environmental structural and functional effects include fragmentation of ecosystems and barriers to populations of many animal species. Specific objectives include the following: (a) to determine fragmentation of forest areas in the gminas which are traversed by selected transports routes and to define the role of these routes for an increasing landscape fragmentation; (b) to determine the number of traffic incidents involving animals by road categories, seasons, time of the day or night and distance from forest. For the detailed analyses six research areas were selected through which the selected road sections run: (a) A1 on section Pruszcz Gdański–Grudziądz (operational since 2008) and DK91; (b) A4 on section Wrocław–Opole (operational since 2003) and DK94; (c) DK8 on section Kudowa Zdrój–Wrocław; (d) DK8 on section Augustów–Budzisko; (e) DK17 on section Garwolin–Kurów; (f) S8 on section Radzymin–Wyszków. Data on traffic incidents which involved animals cover the years 2006–2012 and originate from the SEWIK database. The results obtained show that: (1) between 2006 and 2012 the number and percentage of incidents involving animals were increasing on a regular basis; (2) new roads (motorways and expressways) do not significantly enhance the value of formal landscape fragmentation indicators, but constitute tremendous physical barriers. It is proven, inter alia, by a visibly lower number and density (per 1 km of road) of incidents on these routes, compared to other roads; (3) there is no simple relation between landscape fragmentation and the number and location of forest patches on the one hand, and the total number of incidents and their distribution in space on the other; incidents involving animals take place mainly late in the evening and at night; (4) events occur more frequently 100 m away from the forest than at a distance of 100–200 m away, which may prove some preferences as to road crossing place selection by the animals; (5) incidents within built-up areas, especially during the daytime, have different seasonal pattern, in particular there are no pronounced minimum and maximum periods, which may prove that these incidents involve animals other than ungulates.

References:

1. Borowska S., 2008. Kolizje z dzikimi zwierzętami na drogach w Polsce. Master's thesis, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw: Warsaw University of Life Sciences.
2. Borowska S., 2010. Report Śmiertelność zwierząt na drogach w Polsce. zwolnij.wwf.pl/dokumenty/raport.pdf [10 November 2014].
3. Czerniak A., Tyburski Ł., 2011. Zdarzenia drogowe z udziałem zwierzyny. Infrastruktura i Ekologia Terenów Wiejskich, 2, pp. 275–283.
4. Forman R.T.T., Alexander L.E., 1998. Roads and Their Major Ecological Effects, Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst., 29, pp. 207–231.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.29.1.207 -
5. Forman R.T.T., Sperling D., Bissonette J., Clevenger A.P., Cutshall C., Dale V., Fahrig L., France R., Goldman C., Heanue K., Jones J., Swanson F., Turrentine T., Winter T., 2009. Road Ecology. Alliance of Associations Polish Green Network.
6. Jaeger J.A.G., Soukup T., Madri-án L.F., Schwick C., Kienast F., 2011. Landscape fragmentation in Europe. EEA Report No.2/2011, 87 pp.
7. Jędrzejewska B., Jędrzejewski W., 2008. Wpływ fragmentacji środowiska na populacje zwierząt i ochrona łączności ekologicznej. [in:] W. Jędrzejewski, D. Ławreszuk (eds.), Ochrona łączności ekologicznej w Polsce. Białowieża: Mammal Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, pp. 13–18.
8. Jędrzejewski, W., Nowak, S., Kurek, R., Mysłajek, R.W., Stachura, K., Zawadzka, B., 2006. Zwierzęta a drogi. Metody ograniczania negatywnego wpływu dróg na populację dzikich zwierząt. Białowieża: Mammal Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
9. Jędrzejewski W., Nowak S., Stachura K., Skierczyński M., Mysłajek R.W., Niedziałkowski K., Jędrzejewska B., Wójcik J.M., Zalewska H., Pilot M., 2005. Projekt korytarzy ekologicznych łączących Europejską sieć Natura 2000 w Polsce. Study commissioned by the Ministry of the Environment under Phare PL0105.02. Białowieża: Mammal Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
10. Kurek R., 2010. Poradnik projektowania przejść dla zwierząt i działań ograniczających śmiertelność fauny przy drogach. Workshop for All Beings.
11. Kurek R., 2010. Zwierzęta i drogi. Ochrona zwierząt przy drogach szybkiego ruchu w Polsce. Workshop for All Beings.
12. McGarigal K., Marks B., 1995. FRAGSTATS: Spatial Pattern Analysis Program for Quantifying Landscape Structure. Gen. Tech. Report PNW-GTR-351, USDA Forest Service, Portland: Pacific Northwest Research Station.
13. Morawska A., Żelazo J., 2008. Oddziaływanie dróg na środowisko i rola postępowania w sprawie OOS na przykładzie planowanej drogi krajowej. Przegląd Naukowy Inżynieria i Kształtowanie Środowiska, XVII, 4 (42), pp. 95–109.
14. Prognoza oddziaływania na środowisko skutków realizacji Programu Budowy Dróg Krajowych na lata 2011 – 2015 (Environmental Impact Assessment of the Programme for the Construction of National Roads for 2011–2015), 2011. Warsaw: GDDKiA.
15. Richling A., Solon J., 2011. Ekologia krajobrazu. Warsaw: Wyd. Naukowe PWN.
16. Tyburski Ł., Czerniak A., 2012. Inwentaryzacja zwierząt padłych na drogach w wyniku kolizji z pojazdami. Infrastruktura i Ekologia Terenów Wiejskich, 3.1, pp. 145–154.
17. Tyburski Ł., Czerniak A., Kaczmarek A., Kanas K., Górna M., 2012. Zdarzenia drogowe z udziałem zwierzyny w okresie zimowym. Prace Komisji Nauk Rolniczych i Komisji Nauk Leśnych PTPN, vol. 103, pp. 103–111.