A review of fencing guidance for reptiles and amphibians.
Reptiles and amphibians have been recognised as being some of the
world’s most at-risk species from the impacts of human development. In
particular, roads have been identified as having a significant impact on
herpetofauna due to roadkill and fragmentation. Despite road mortality
affecting herpetofauna greater than other species, the topic of wildlife
vehicle collision (WVC) studies, which influence mitigation, is biased
towards larger species due to higher human costs from WVCs. In addition
to mitigation research, government funding for species protection and
recovery has also been found to be highly disproportionate among species
groups.
This bias has resulted in a lack of research on effectiveness and clear
and consistent guidance on mitigation for smaller animals such as
reptiles and amphibians. Wildlife fencing is one method of mitigation
that has proven to help reduce WVCs and can help maintain connectivity
when combined with wildlife crossings. There have been more studies in
recent years that have focused on herpetofauna mitigation and these have
helped inform best practice guidance.
In this article we review current freely available best practice
guidance for fencing designed to manage conflict of herpetofauna around
transport networks from across the world. We have summarised findings
that compare and highlight key factors that include the following:
Material type, Fence height, and Fence features.
Combining factors from existing guidance, recent research and our
practical observations on mitigation projects, we provide a summary of
recommendations along with diagrams and descriptions that reflect the
analysed guidance. We also identify and highlight any areas that may
need further research and investigation to help build upon the status
quo and enable us to better utilise fencing as a conflict management
tool for herpetofauna.
Key words: Wildlife fencing, reptiles, amphibians, wildlife vehicle
collisions (WVCs), road mitigation