Patterns of vertebrate road-kills in a pre-Saharan Tunisian area

Abstract

Understanding spatio-temporal patterns of animal-vehicle collisions is a crucial step for the implementation of efficient mitigation measures of this worldwide threat against biodiversity. In this study we investigated vertebrate road-kills in a pre-Saharan area in southern Tunisia. In particular, we assessed how road mortality varied according to land cover and season. From February 2019 to January 2020, a road section crossing three land cover types (desert, oasis and urban areas) was monitored twice a week for the survey of road-killed vertebrates. There was about one animal killed per 10 km and per day. Birds were the vertebrate class most affected by road-kills. Mammals constituted a non-negligible part of recorded road-kills and were mainly represented by stray cats and dogs. The highest rate of vertebrate road-kill was recorded in oases, which was expected given the higher abundance of animals in these densely-vegetated areas compared to desert and urban areas. The peak road mortality was recorded in spring and early summer for birds, but in winter for mammals. In sum, our results reveal that vertebrate classes have different patterns of road mortality in the area studied. They also stress the need for urgent mitigation measures, especially inside oases.