 |
|
|
|
Road kills
are an important threat to endangered
species such as the Night Snake
and American Badger.
|
|
 State of Environment Reporting
Habitat
in British Columbia
Road
Density by Watershed Group
 
SOURCE:
Decision Support Services, Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management,
2002. NOTES: 1988 map data are taken from 1981-1988 air photos (TRIM).
For the 1999 map, updated air photos takend between 1996-1999 are
only available for 40% of the province. Road types included in this
analysis are all paved and non-paved roads. Seismic lines are not
included. The delineations on the map represent the 246 watershed
groupings, as described in the British Columbia Watershed Atlas.
Wildlife thresholds from: Jalkotzy, M., P. Ross and M. Nasserden.
1998. The effect of linear development on wildlife: A review of
selected scientific literature. Canadian Association of Petroleum
Producers, Alberta.
Status
and Trends in Road Density in British Columbia
- As
of 1988 there were 387,000 km of roads
in British Columbia. Seventy-six percent
of these are used to access forests for
timber and recreation. The other 24% are
main and secondary highways and other
non-forest roads.
- In
1999, part of the province was re-surveyed,
making it possible to see trends in road
density for 40% of the area covered by
both map sets.
- Total
road length increased by 45% (to 277,000
km of roads) in the area of the province
with updated 1999 data.
- As
of 1999, road density was greater than
1km/km2 in approximately 30%
of watershed groups within the portion
of British Columbia mapped to date. In
approximately 15% of the watershed groups
mapped to 1999, road density was less
than 0.1km/km2 (meaning roads
cover about 2% of the total area).
Why is it important?
- Roads
provide access for urban and industrial
development and to previously inaccessible
forest areas. Their presence can alter
local hydrology, fragment habitat, increase
road kill, increase legal and illegal
fishing and hunting, and create disturbance
from both traffic and off-road vehicles.
- Some
species will avoid roads, resulting in
isolated wild populations and a disruption
in seasonal movements and genetic interchange.
-
Examples of road densities above which
wildlife species have been negatively
affected include: Grizzly Bear 0.4km/km2;
Black Bear 1.25 km/km2; Elk
0.62 km/km2 and Bull Trout
0.1 to 1.31km/km2. These examples
are not applicable to all areas of the
province because the impact of roads also
depends on the amount and type of traffic.
What
is being done?
- Regular
road maintenance and access management,
including road deactivation and access
restriction, can mitigate some of the
negative impacts of roads.
|
