Abstract
Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park is one of the most important protected areas of the Brazilian Cerrado and is inhabited by diverse species, but the area has seldom been studied. From 2006 to 2008, we studied the impact of roads on wild vertebrates by recording roadkill on the two main roads located in the vicinity of the park. Of 824 killed vertebrates belonging to 138 species that were recorded, the species that were found most often in each vertebrate group were the Schneider's toad (Rhinella schneideri), the grassland sparrow (Ammodramus humeralis), the yellow-toothed cavy (Galea flavidens), and the marbled lancehead (Bothrops marmoratus). The roadkill rate was 0.096 animals km-1. Vertebrate mortality was significantly higher during the wet season. There is a significant relationship between habitat structure and the vertebrates that were found as roadkill: amphibians are associated with nearby forest and paved roads, birds with nearby pastures, reptiles with nearby grassland, and mammals with unpaved roads. Action should be taken such as highway fencing in combination with safe crossing opportunities for wildlife in order to decrease the number of animals killed on the roads.
Highlights
Roads have recently been recognized as an important cause of habitat fragmentation and wildlife decline around the world (Coffin 2007)
Additional data was obtained from highway BR 010, which runs between Alto Paraıso and Teresina de Goiás and includes 64 km of paved road
We investigated whether a connection existed between specific habitat characteristics and the abundance of particular vertebrate groups
Summary
Roads have recently been recognized as an important cause of habitat fragmentation and wildlife decline around the world (Coffin 2007). The creation or enlargement of roads may damage natural environments by creating new road cuttings and embankments that scar the landscape, increase traffic noise, and increase road lighting (Sherewood et al 2002; Forman et al 2003). Because of these threats, a number of recent studies on road ecology have been conducted, especially in Europe, the United. Australia (Coffin 2007) These studies have emphasized the need to plan road systems and have indicated that conservation should be a major goal of road planning (Forman et al 2003). In spite of the great influence of roads on the dynamics of wildlife populations, most studies examined http://www.scielo.br/bn
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