Chapter 6
Railway Disturbances on Wildlife:
Types, Effects, and Mitigation Measures
Priscila Silva Lucas, Ramon Gomes de Carvalho and Clara Grilo
Abstract In this chapter, we review the level of disturbance caused by railways due
to noise and vibration, air, soil and water pollution, and soil erosion. There is evidence
that soil and hydrology contamination may affect vegetation and aquatic fauna while
noise can affect terrestrial vertebrates. In fact, noise, light, and vibration due to
railways have been observed to reduce the abundance and richness of some insects,
amphibians, and birds, and to cause avoidance behaviour on predators. Interestingly,
reptiles, some bird species, small mammals, and large mammals seem to ignore rail
traffic and benefit from the vegetation planted in the railway verges that provide food
and shelter. Some engineering structures have been implemented to reduce the effects
of railway disturbance: rail fastenings, rail dampers, under-sleeper pads, and noise
barriers are applied to minimize noise and vibration; washing with water and cleaning
the ballast are used to mitigate soil pollution; and grass plantation, the use of gypsum
and application of compost/mulch coverage, are applied to control soil erosion.
Keywords Noise and vibration Á Air and soil pollution Á Water pollution Á Soil
erosion Á Terrestrial vertebrates Á Species richness Á Avoidance effect
Introduction
The construction and operation of railways implies changes in the surrounded
landscape that alter the microclimate, soil, and hydrological dynamics, contributing
to the degradation of the natural habitat for many species (Forman and Alexander
1998; Eigenbrod et al. 2009). During operation, the main disturbances caused by
railways are air, soil and water pollution, as well as noise and vibration, which
P.S. Lucas (&) Á R.G. de Carvalho Á C. Grilo
Centro Brasileiro de Estudos em Ecologia de Estradas,
Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras 37200-000, Brazil
e-mail: prilucass@gmail.com
C. Grilo
Setor Ecologia, Departamento Biologia, Universidade Federal
de Lavras, Lavras 37200-000, Brazil
© The Author(s) 2017
L. Borda-de-Água et al. (eds.), Railway Ecology,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57496-7_6
81
Railway Disturbances on Wildlife:
Types, Effects, and Mitigation Measures
Priscila Silva Lucas, Ramon Gomes de Carvalho and Clara Grilo
Abstract In this chapter, we review the level of disturbance caused by railways due
to noise and vibration, air, soil and water pollution, and soil erosion. There is evidence
that soil and hydrology contamination may affect vegetation and aquatic fauna while
noise can affect terrestrial vertebrates. In fact, noise, light, and vibration due to
railways have been observed to reduce the abundance and richness of some insects,
amphibians, and birds, and to cause avoidance behaviour on predators. Interestingly,
reptiles, some bird species, small mammals, and large mammals seem to ignore rail
traffic and benefit from the vegetation planted in the railway verges that provide food
and shelter. Some engineering structures have been implemented to reduce the effects
of railway disturbance: rail fastenings, rail dampers, under-sleeper pads, and noise
barriers are applied to minimize noise and vibration; washing with water and cleaning
the ballast are used to mitigate soil pollution; and grass plantation, the use of gypsum
and application of compost/mulch coverage, are applied to control soil erosion.
Keywords Noise and vibration Á Air and soil pollution Á Water pollution Á Soil
erosion Á Terrestrial vertebrates Á Species richness Á Avoidance effect
Introduction
The construction and operation of railways implies changes in the surrounded
landscape that alter the microclimate, soil, and hydrological dynamics, contributing
to the degradation of the natural habitat for many species (Forman and Alexander
1998; Eigenbrod et al. 2009). During operation, the main disturbances caused by
railways are air, soil and water pollution, as well as noise and vibration, which
P.S. Lucas (&) Á R.G. de Carvalho Á C. Grilo
Centro Brasileiro de Estudos em Ecologia de Estradas,
Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras 37200-000, Brazil
e-mail: prilucass@gmail.com
C. Grilo
Setor Ecologia, Departamento Biologia, Universidade Federal
de Lavras, Lavras 37200-000, Brazil
© The Author(s) 2017
L. Borda-de-Água et al. (eds.), Railway Ecology,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57496-7_6
81