When wildlife appears on the road, truck drivers have only seconds to decide whether to brake, swerve or maintain their course, even when this may mean hitting the animal. Drawing on psychological theory and interviews with truck drivers in Brazil, our study examines what shapes these split-second decisions and what this means for reducing wildlife–vehicle collisions.

Nearly 9 million medium- and large-sized mammals (>1kg) could be killed on Brazilian roads each year, representing an estimated wildlife biomass of over 10,000 tons. Mortality from roads is a major threat to wildlife conservation in Brazil, and further research and mitigation is urgently needed to avoid species extinction.

By mapping road- and railroad-less areas in Brazil we identified priority areas for conservation and restoration. Our study also demonstrated that there is less native vegetation near roads and railroads compared to further away.

This study aimed to clarify the level of agreement between potential movement corridors and areas of high predicted road mortality in order to identify optimal locations for mitigation. We recommend considering both approaches in parallel.

Bird mortality through collision and electrocution are probably the most well-known ecological impacts of overhead power lines. However, our systematic review identified at least 26 other potential impacts on biodiversity that should be considered during ecological impact assessments. We developed a logical framework to help practitioners systematically identify and assess the potential ecological impacts of powerlines.