Roadkill mitigation: trialing virtual fence devices on the west coast of Tasmania

Abstract

Wildlife roadkill is a worldwide issue being tackled using several mitigation methods that have variable efficacy. Tasmania has a significant roadkill issue, and several endemic species that are vulnerable to roadkill. Virtual fence devices are manufactured in Austria and were originally designed to mitigate against the impact of vehicles hitting large game species such as deer and boar. Here, we trial the devices over three years at a single site in Tasmania to determine whether they are effective in reducing roadkill of Tasmanian mammal species. While there was no spatial replication in this trial, a reduction in total roadkill rate, and in the most commonly affected species, by 50% suggests that these devices have enormous potential to substantially reduce roadkill rates. Many unique mammal species no longer found in the wild on mainland Australia are still found in Tasmania, making mitigating roadkill hotspots an important conservation tool to help maintain presence of these species in their last remaining stronghold. Road managers, including councils, in other Australian States that suffer from high rates of wildlife roadkill may benefit from the knowledge of the results of this trial.