Felids on highways along the Brazilian Pampa: priority stretches and mitigations

Highways are one of the main causes of environmental changes that cause more extensive impacts on nature, resulting in a decrease in the three levels of diversity: between organisms of the same species, between species and throughout the ecosystem. Currently, being run over is one of the biggest threats to felids. In this sense, the present study aims to identify the priority stretches to reduce the running over of Leopardus geoffroyi on the highways of the Brazilian Pampa, and from there to implement mitigation actions. Based on the collaboration with researchers who monitor run over fauna and the search for data in museums, a data collection of pedestrians being hit by the two species will be carried out and models of probability of being run over will be built considering landscape variables, to be extrapolated to the entire network. road network in the region. The results of the modeling will indicate the stretches of road with the highest probability of being run over by each species, and these will be selected for the implementation of mitigating actions of being run over, such as fences and billboards. In addition, reports will be prepared to be delivered to the competent environmental and transport agencies.

Members:

Flávia Tirelli, Elis Felipeto, Fernanda Teixeria, Marina Favarini e Felipe Peters.