Animal Biodiversity and Conservation. Volume 47.2 (2024) Pages: 183-195

To cross or not to cross: patterns and predictability of vertebrate roadkill in three road corridors in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia

Paredes-Casas, C. A., Bello Quintero, C. A., Gómez, L. H., Zárrate-Charry, D. A., Gómez-Junco, G. P., González-Maya, J. F.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2024.47.0183

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Abstract

Roadkills are among the most important threats to wildlife worldwide. In Colombia, few studies have evaluated the impact or patterns of this threat and many aspects are yet to be evaluated. Bogotá and Cundinamarca are the most populated areas in the country, but no information is available regarding this threat in this area. Here we evaluated the incidence of roadkill in three main road corridors between August 2018 and November 2019, estimating its magnitude, patterns and influencing variables. All roadkill records were collected and characterized spatially, temporally, and taxonomically. We then modeled the effect of landscape variables on roadkill incidence. We surveyed 88 times, covering 12,120 km and obtaining 52 records of 15 species. Mammals were the most affected taxa (67.30 %), followed by reptiles (19.12 %). We identified 38 hotspots. Sinuosity was found to be the most influential variable in the probability of roadkill, with overall probabilities concentrated in the medium risk (60-70 %), and 20 % showing high probabilities (90-100 %). These findings lay the groundwork for long-term monitoring, promoting implementation of measures to reduce the effect of this threat to wildlife in the department.

Keywords

Bogotá, Birds, Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians, Roads, Road ecology

Cite

Paredes-Casas, C. A., Bello Quintero, C. A., Gómez, L. H., Zárrate-Charry, D. A., Gómez-Junco, G. P., González-Maya, J. F., 2024. To cross or not to cross: patterns and predictability of vertebrate roadkill in three road corridors in the department of Cundinamarca, Colombia. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation, 47: 183-195, DOI: https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2024.47.0183