Research
Making scientific research accessible
Here you’ll find easy-to-read summaries of scientifically rigorous, evidence-based and peer-reviewed publications from around the world to help you better plan, build and manage ecologically sustainable linear infrastructure.
Research summaries are listed chronologically according to when they were published here. To find information on a specific topic, please use the SEARCH function and search by keywords, including topic, species, location and/or author.
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Roads Reduce Amphibian Abundance in Ponds
Ponds in Hungary located in the road-effect zone – the area within 1 km of a highway – had a lower abundance of larval amphibians (tadpoles and newt larvae). There were also fewer amphibian larvae in ponds that were surrounded by a high percentage of roads, while there were more larvae of some species in ponds surrounded by large areas of connected wetland and terrestrial habitat.
An under-road tunnel and fence system supports population increases of the Great Crested Newt in England
We used custom-built cameras and image recognition software to evaluate the use and effectiveness of a tunnel and fence system for amphibians at a road mitigation site in England. Over four years, we found high rates of use of the tunnels, no roadkill, colonisation of newly-built ponds and a substantial increase in the population size of several species, including the nationally protected Great Crested Newt.
Designing and testing under-road tunnels for Asian amphibians
Many populations of amphibians are declining rapidly across Asia and road kill is a significant cause. In this project, we designed and tested a range of culverts to identify amphibian-friendly options to mitigate roadkill and barrier effects of roads.