Wallabies and Roads: Interactions and Management in an Urbanising Landscape

Abstract

Understanding the impacts of roads on wildlife and the natural environment is of increasing importance, especially in the context of widespread urbanisation. Macropods (mostly kangaroos and wallabies) are a diverse and widespread taxon in Australia that has been significantly affected by the presence of roads in various ways. Although a moderate volume of research has been conducted on the interactions between macropod species and roads in Australia, this a fraction of the research effort conducted on large mammals in Europe and North America. Research that encompasses a variety of aspects of interactions between roads and macropods (and wildlife in general) is needed to broaden our perspective on impacts and mitigation. Patterns of wallaby road mortality were investigated in a per-urban area of South East Queensland. Wallaby road-kill rates varied greatly; between 0.044 and 0.883 road-kills km-1 month-1 at the road or road section scale. Four wallaby mortality hotspots and several other areas of high mortality density were identified from the kernel density spatial analysis. Percent of commercial vehicle traffic (positively correlated) and distance to water (negatively correlated) were important spatial variables for determining the patterns of red-necked wallaby road-kill. Cumulative rainfall over the previous four weeks and maximum wind gust speed (both negatively correlated) were important temporal variables in determining the patterns of red-necked wallaby road-kill. Too few swamp wallaby road-kills were observed to be analysed.