Patterns in motorcycle-related roadkill on a resort island

Abstract

Roads and transportation are essential to tourism, however, roadkill by tourist vehicles depletes local wildlife populations, and the effects can be particularly severe on small islands. On Little Liuqiu Island in Taiwan, motorcycles are the primary mode of transportation among both islanders and tourists, but there are concerns of the associated roadkill. In this study, ArcGIS Getis-Ord Gi* statistics were applied to the spatial clustering of carcasses of Gecarcoidea lalandii, the species most commonly killed on Little Liuqiu Island roads. Areas with the highest density of G. lalandii carcasses were in the southwest or eastern parts of the island. These areas coincide with tourism-related traffic to and from night-time seaside attractions. In addition, the mean width of roads in areas with a high carcass density was found to differ from that in areas with a lower carcass density. The number of carcasses was positively related to the number of live crabs adjacent to the road as well as the mean number of motorcycles passing per hour. Our findings provide a valuable reference to help support the preservation of wildlife in areas with heavy motorcycle traffic. Management solutions to mitigate roadkill are also proposed.