Linear infrastructure intrusions

These intrusions cause linear opening through the habitat or breakage in landscape connectivity due to infrastructure creation and maintenance, which is known to have multiple ecological effects in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

[5] Vegetation clearing along and on either side of the linear infrastructure intrusion for maintenance, visibility, or as 'viewlines' within wildlife reserves, contributed to further habitat loss, disturbance, and associated effects.

As a result, elevated tree mortality, numerous canopy gaps and a proliferation of disturbance-adapted vines, weeds, and pioneer species may occur along edges.

This occurs in a variety of ways: roadkill (or wildlife – vehicle collisions, WVC) in the case of roads and highways,[13] electrocution along power lines,[14][15] drowning in irrigation canals,[16][17] and impalement or snagging on fences.

Animals may also be killed during construction of the infrastructure, earthwork and annual maintenance operations, which may particularly affect slow-moving and burrowing species such as turtles, snakes, and soil fauna.

Disruptions caused by linear infrastructure may increase negative human – wildlife interactions (conflicts) involving species such as wild elephants and large carnivores thereby leading to additional mortality.

[24][25] In Sharavathi river basin in India, a study estimated an amphibian kill rate on roads averaging about 10 kills/km per day on a National Highway during the monsoon.

[26] In contrast, birds and mammals may be killed more frequently than herpetofauna along roads through grassland and scrubland habitats [27][28] or in landscape dominated by open pastures as in New South Wales.

In southeast Asian tropical forests, roads on steep terrain contribute the largest surface erosion and landslide losses (per unit area disturbed) compared to other land uses.