Use road closures

Overall effectiveness category Awaiting assessment
Number of studies: 1
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Effectiveness

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Certainty

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Background information and definitions

Reptiles are vulnerable to road mortality, particularly during the breeding season when activity levels increase and roads may bisect nesting habitat. In some areas, roads may be closed to protect hotspots for reptile movements.

Study locations

Key messages

One study evaluated the effects of using road closures on reptile populations. This study was in Canada.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

POPULATION RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

BEHAVIOUR (1 STUDY)

Use (1 study): One replicated study in Canada found that closed roads were not used more by Blanding’s turtles than unclosed roads.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated study in 2010 in wetlands and forests bisected by roads along the Ottawa River in southern Québec, Canada (Proulx et al. 2014) found that closed roads were not used more by Blanding's turtles Emydoidea blandingii compared to roads open to vehicle traffic. Blanding’s turtles showed similar levels of use of roads closed (0.9 crossings/individual) and open to vehicle traffic (1.1 crossings/individual). Twenty-four of 52 turtles crossed roads. Fifty-two Blanding's turtles (22 females, 24 males, 6 juveniles) were captured by hand or using hoop nets and a radio transmitter was attached to their shell. All turtles were tracked every 2–4 days from May to August 2010.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Proulx C.L., Fortin G. & Blouin-Demers G. (2014) Blanding's turtles (Emydoidea blandingii) avoid crossing unpaved and paved roads. Journal of Herpetology, 48, 267-271.

Please cite as:

Sainsbury K.A., Morgan W.H., Watson M., Rotem G., Bouskila A., Smith R.K. & Sutherland W.J. (2021) Reptile Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions for reptiles. Conservation Evidence Series Synopsis. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Reptile Conservation

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