Wildlife Crossing Infrastructure and Road Ecology

Wildlife crossing structures reduce road mortality and habitat fragmentation, providing both individual welfare benefits and population-level conservation gains.

Key Facts

Roads kill an estimated 1-2 million large vertebrates daily in the United States, with smaller animals killed in even greater numbers
Wildlife overpasses and underpasses combined with perimeter fencing have been shown to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions by up to 80% at crossing locations
The Banff National Park wildlife crossing network in Canada is one of the most studied, with over 150,000 documented animal crossings since installation
Effective wildlife crossings require species-specific design: cougars prefer enclosed dark passages while bears and elk prefer open vegetated overpasses
Genetic studies of carnivore populations show improved diversity in areas served by wildlife crossing infrastructure
The US Federal Highway Administration has published wildlife crossing design guidelines that increasingly require consideration in new road projects

Welfare Considerations

Wildlife crossings address one of the most concrete and quantifiable welfare costs of human infrastructure: road mortality. Each crossing structure prevents thousands of traumatic animal deaths and injuries over its operational lifetime. The investment in crossing infrastructure also delivers conservation benefits by maintaining genetic connectivity between fragmented populations. Advocacy for wildlife crossings in transportation planning is a high-leverage welfare action.

What You Can Do

Support funding for wildlife crossing infrastructure in transportation bills and budget processes
Advocate for wildlife crossing requirements in environmental impact assessments for new road projects
Donate to organizations such as Wildlands Network that campaign for connected landscape infrastructure
Learn about road ecology and share the case for wildlife crossings with your community