Chapter 3
Methods to Monitor and Mitigate Wildlife
Mortality in Railways
Filipe Carvalho, Sara M. Santos, António Mira and Rui Lourenço
Abstract Recording wildlife mortality on railways is challenging as they have
narrow corridors and lower accessibility. To improve mitigation measures, surveys
must be systematic and their frequency depending on the targeted species traits and
biology. To obtain unbiased estimates in diverse contexts, the data should be
corrected using mortality estimators. Mitigation measures must avoid that animals
remain on the tracks, as trains cannot be instantly stopped. Box culverts, amphibian
tunnels, and under- or overpasses allow a safe crossing, whereas exclusion fences,
olfactory repellents, sound signals and sound barriers prevent the crossing of railways. Habitat management in railway verges improves the animal capability to
evade trains.
Keywords Bias sources Á Mitigation Á Monitoring methods Á Monitoring plan Á
Mortality estimators
Filipe Carvalho and Rui Lourenço have contributed equally to this chapter.
F. Carvalho (&) Á S.M. Santos Á A. Mira
CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos,
Universidade de Évora, Pólo de Évora, Casa do Cordovil 2º Andar,
7000-890 Évora, Portugal
e-mail: filipescpcarvalho@gmail.com
F. Carvalho
Department of Zoology and Entomology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences,
University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, South Africa
A. Mira
Unidade de Biologia da Conservação, Departamento de Biologia,
Universidade de Évora, Mitra, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal
R. Lourenço
LabOr – Laboratório de Ornitologia, ICAAM—Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais
Mediterrânicas, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal
© The Author(s) 2017
L. Borda-de-Água et al. (eds.), Railway Ecology,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57496-7_3
23
Methods to Monitor and Mitigate Wildlife
Mortality in Railways
Filipe Carvalho, Sara M. Santos, António Mira and Rui Lourenço
Abstract Recording wildlife mortality on railways is challenging as they have
narrow corridors and lower accessibility. To improve mitigation measures, surveys
must be systematic and their frequency depending on the targeted species traits and
biology. To obtain unbiased estimates in diverse contexts, the data should be
corrected using mortality estimators. Mitigation measures must avoid that animals
remain on the tracks, as trains cannot be instantly stopped. Box culverts, amphibian
tunnels, and under- or overpasses allow a safe crossing, whereas exclusion fences,
olfactory repellents, sound signals and sound barriers prevent the crossing of railways. Habitat management in railway verges improves the animal capability to
evade trains.
Keywords Bias sources Á Mitigation Á Monitoring methods Á Monitoring plan Á
Mortality estimators
Filipe Carvalho and Rui Lourenço have contributed equally to this chapter.
F. Carvalho (&) Á S.M. Santos Á A. Mira
CIBIO/InBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos,
Universidade de Évora, Pólo de Évora, Casa do Cordovil 2º Andar,
7000-890 Évora, Portugal
e-mail: filipescpcarvalho@gmail.com
F. Carvalho
Department of Zoology and Entomology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences,
University of Fort Hare, Private Bag X1314, Alice 5700, South Africa
A. Mira
Unidade de Biologia da Conservação, Departamento de Biologia,
Universidade de Évora, Mitra, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal
R. Lourenço
LabOr – Laboratório de Ornitologia, ICAAM—Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais
Mediterrânicas, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal
© The Author(s) 2017
L. Borda-de-Água et al. (eds.), Railway Ecology,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-57496-7_3
23