Roadkill hotspot

[5][4] Roadkill hotspots vary spatially and temporally, depending on the scale, duration of monitoring, and both the species and season in question.

[7][8] Additionally, roadkill hotspots can be projected by using a model to ascertain probable locations; models typically use existing wildlife abundance, distribution, and mitigation data combined with landscape variables (distance to forest, wetland, grassland, road elevation, road width, speed limit, etc.

A strong anthropogenic effect, the results of wildlife-vehicle collisions claim hundreds of millions of animals per year, and the burden to mitigate ecological degradation often becomes the responsibility of governments.

Researchers stress that an absence of hotspots in a given area should not be taken as conclusive evidence for a lack of roadway effects among local animal populations.

[15] In instances where the target species for conservation has few remaining individuals, modelling can be employed to project hotspot locations, sites that can be prioritized for the construction of roadkill mitigation infrastructure.

[6] As a result, specific species may receive priority or roadkill data may be combined along animal type or ecosystem role, e.g. birds, small mammals, reptiles, specialists, etc.

[2] Road mortality surveys (researcher-conducted scanning of the roadway looking for roadkill) are most effective when adhering to a consistent and systematic protocol so that accumulated data are a good representation of the research site regardless of time.

For example, once hotspot seasonality is determined, warnings of potential animal crossings can be timed and delivered to motorists, increasing driver awareness.