On the Road Without a Map: Why We Need an “Ethic of Road Ecology”

Lauren J Moore,Marcel P Huijser,Bethanie L Walder,A Z Andis Arietta,Fernanda D Abra,Daniel T Spencer

doi:10.3389/fevo.2021.774286

Abstract

Over the past two decades, our knowledge of the ecological impacts of roads has increased rapidly. It is now clear that the environmental effects of transportation infrastructure are inextricable from transportation benefits to economic, social, and cultural values. Despite the necessity of optimizing these multiple values, road planners, scientists, and practitioners have no established methodology or pluralistic approach to address growing ethical complexities. We articulate five ethical issues that could be addressed by developing an ethic of road ecology in order to facilitate the identification, reasoning, and harmonization of ethical dimensions of road planning and development. This inquiry into road ecology can draw lessons from existing applied ethics, such as in ecological restoration and urban planning, to build a narrative that is informed by both science and ethics. We illustrate five ethical issues presented through case studies that elaborate on the motivations, responsibilities, and duties that should be considered in ethically and scientifically complicated road building decisions. To address these issues, we encourage the development of a code of ethics, dedicated intellectual forums, and practical guidance to assist road planners, and more broadly transportation practitioners, to resolve complex ethical quandaries systematically. We hope this perspective encourages conversation for a holistic yet pragmatic approach to this applied ethics problem, while also assisting responsible parties as they navigate difficult moral terrain.

Highlights

Transportation infrastructure is one of the most widely distributed global anthropogenic impacts on the environment and human health
There is a need to build an ethical framework to consider and evaluate decisions in order to include all stakeholders in a more holistic and inclusive process and prevent monopolistic decisionmaking that uses transportation as the only priority. To fill this gap and to avoid the externalization of uncompensated environmental, social, and cultural impacts of roads, especially to nature and marginalized communities, we argue that the field of road ecology needs an applied ethic that can be tailored to different road scenarios
Transportation infrastructure can reasonably be considered a primary driver of ecological change across the globe

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Transportation infrastructure is one of the most widely distributed global anthropogenic impacts on the environment and human health. The proponents of road ecology can build on this viewpoint to develop a pluralistic, interdisciplinary ethical framework This should encompass concerns of human wellbeing and welfare (such as social, economic, and human health costs and benefits), animal welfare and well-being at both the species and individual level (i.e., individuals being hit by vehicles and impacts to whole species and habitats) and whole ecosystems (such as roads fragmenting landscapes and disrupting natural dynamics of resource access and migrations) (Figure 1; Alamgir et al, 2017). A tendency to rely on the potential of road mitigation may interfere with a clear evaluation of the damaging implications, creating an obstacle to safeguarding the original value and integrity of unimpacted natural areas This reflects a salient ethical issue seen in ecological restoration. Guidance for transportation practitioners more broadly by applying some of the ethical questions raised here to transportation planning and including this in best-practice guidelines

CONCLUSION

Findings

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT