Exploring 15 years of brown bear (Ursus arctos)-vehicle collisions in northwestern Greece
Road networks provide several benefits to human societies; however, they are also one of the major drivers of fragmentation and habitat degradation. Their negative effects include wildlife-vehicle collisions which are associated with increased barrier effects, restricted gene flow, and increased loc...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.47.71348 https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/71348/ |
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ftpensoft:10.3897/natureconservation.47.71348 2023-05-15T18:41:49+02:00 Exploring 15 years of brown bear (Ursus arctos)-vehicle collisions in northwestern Greece Psaralexi,Maria Lazarina,Maria Mertzanis,Yorgos Michaelidou,Danai-Eleni Sgardelis,Steanos 2022 text/html https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.47.71348 https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/71348/ en eng Pensoft Publishers info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1314-3301 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/1314-6947 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Nature Conservation 47: 105-119 Collision patterns Ursus arctos wildlife-vehicle collisions Research Article 2022 ftpensoft https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.47.71348 2022-03-28T23:55:02Z Road networks provide several benefits to human societies; however, they are also one of the major drivers of fragmentation and habitat degradation. Their negative effects include wildlife-vehicle collisions which are associated with increased barrier effects, restricted gene flow, and increased local extinction risk. Large carnivores, such as the brown bear (Ursus arctos), are vulnerable to road mortality while they also put human safety at risk in every collision. We recorded approximately 100 bear-vehicle collisions during the last 15 years (2005–2020) in northwestern Greece and identified common aspects for collisions, i.e., spatial, or temporal segregation of collision events, road features, and age or sex of the involved animals. We recorded collisions in both the core distribution area of brown bears, as well as at the periphery, where few individuals, mostly males, disperse. According to our findings, there are four collision hotspots which include ca. 60% of total collisions. Bear-vehicle collisions occurred mostly in periods of increased animal mobility, under poor light conditions and low visibility. In most cases, we deem that a collision was unavoidable at the time of animal detection, because the driver could not have reacted in time to avoid it. Appropriate fencing, in combination with the retention of safe passages for the animals, can minimize collisions. Therefore, such mitigation measures, wildlife warning signs and other collision prevention systems, such as animal detection systems, should be adopted to decrease the number of bear-vehicle collisions and improve road safety. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ursus arctos Pensoft Publishers Nature Conservation 47 105 119 |
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English |
topic |
Collision patterns Ursus arctos wildlife-vehicle collisions |
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Collision patterns Ursus arctos wildlife-vehicle collisions Psaralexi,Maria Lazarina,Maria Mertzanis,Yorgos Michaelidou,Danai-Eleni Sgardelis,Steanos Exploring 15 years of brown bear (Ursus arctos)-vehicle collisions in northwestern Greece |
topic_facet |
Collision patterns Ursus arctos wildlife-vehicle collisions |
description |
Road networks provide several benefits to human societies; however, they are also one of the major drivers of fragmentation and habitat degradation. Their negative effects include wildlife-vehicle collisions which are associated with increased barrier effects, restricted gene flow, and increased local extinction risk. Large carnivores, such as the brown bear (Ursus arctos), are vulnerable to road mortality while they also put human safety at risk in every collision. We recorded approximately 100 bear-vehicle collisions during the last 15 years (2005–2020) in northwestern Greece and identified common aspects for collisions, i.e., spatial, or temporal segregation of collision events, road features, and age or sex of the involved animals. We recorded collisions in both the core distribution area of brown bears, as well as at the periphery, where few individuals, mostly males, disperse. According to our findings, there are four collision hotspots which include ca. 60% of total collisions. Bear-vehicle collisions occurred mostly in periods of increased animal mobility, under poor light conditions and low visibility. In most cases, we deem that a collision was unavoidable at the time of animal detection, because the driver could not have reacted in time to avoid it. Appropriate fencing, in combination with the retention of safe passages for the animals, can minimize collisions. Therefore, such mitigation measures, wildlife warning signs and other collision prevention systems, such as animal detection systems, should be adopted to decrease the number of bear-vehicle collisions and improve road safety. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Psaralexi,Maria Lazarina,Maria Mertzanis,Yorgos Michaelidou,Danai-Eleni Sgardelis,Steanos |
author_facet |
Psaralexi,Maria Lazarina,Maria Mertzanis,Yorgos Michaelidou,Danai-Eleni Sgardelis,Steanos |
author_sort |
Psaralexi,Maria |
title |
Exploring 15 years of brown bear (Ursus arctos)-vehicle collisions in northwestern Greece |
title_short |
Exploring 15 years of brown bear (Ursus arctos)-vehicle collisions in northwestern Greece |
title_full |
Exploring 15 years of brown bear (Ursus arctos)-vehicle collisions in northwestern Greece |
title_fullStr |
Exploring 15 years of brown bear (Ursus arctos)-vehicle collisions in northwestern Greece |
title_full_unstemmed |
Exploring 15 years of brown bear (Ursus arctos)-vehicle collisions in northwestern Greece |
title_sort |
exploring 15 years of brown bear (ursus arctos)-vehicle collisions in northwestern greece |
publisher |
Pensoft Publishers |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.47.71348 https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/71348/ |
genre |
Ursus arctos |
genre_facet |
Ursus arctos |
op_source |
Nature Conservation 47: 105-119 |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1314-3301 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/1314-6947 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.47.71348 |
container_title |
Nature Conservation |
container_volume |
47 |
container_start_page |
105 |
op_container_end_page |
119 |
_version_ |
1766231373547307008 |