Wildlife

Wild Mammal Road Ecology and Welfare

Road infrastructure causes chronic wildlife welfare harm through collision mortality, habitat fragmentation and barrier effects on natural movement.

Key Facts

Roads cause an estimated 50 million vertebrate deaths annually in Europe
Badgers, hedgehogs and otters are among the most commonly killed UK mammals on roads
Wildlife crossing infrastructure including underpasses and overpasses reduces collision mortality
Road avoidance behaviour changes home range use and reproductive success
Lighting and noise pollution from roads creates chronic stress in adjacent wildlife populations

Welfare Considerations

Roads represent pervasive infrastructure that causes both acute welfare harm through mortality and chronic harm through habitat fragmentation and barrier effects. Retrofitting wildlife crossing infrastructure on existing roads reduces mortality. New road design should include wildlife connectivity assessment as standard.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns for wildlife crossing infrastructure on high-mortality road sections
Drive carefully in rural areas where wildlife warning signs are posted
Report wildlife road casualties to local wildlife organisations for mortality mapping