Strategies for Navigating Roadways with Wildlife and Preventing Animal Collisions
In an effort to minimise the devastating impact of roadkill on native species in Victoria, experts are exploring innovative solutions such as dynamic speed reduction and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies like virtual fencing.
One such technology, virtual fencing, has shown promising effectiveness in reducing wildlife roadkill rates in various regions. By alerting wildlife as cars approach, this invention has demonstrated a significant reduction in the wildlife road toll along certain areas, such as 12.3 kilometres of Forest Road. The RooBadge, a collaboration between Volkswagen and the University of Melbourne, is an accessory that emits a sound to deter kangaroos as the car approaches, using AI to compare the car's GPS coordinates to the distribution of kangaroos in an area.
While a 2019-22 trial on Phillip Island found no significant effect of virtual fencing on roadkill rates, the overall approach of integrating fencing with wildlife crossings is supported as successful. This strategy aligns with internationally recognised solutions where fencing and crossing structures significantly decrease roadkill and habitat fragmentation effects.
Wildlife Victoria is working with councils on its Wildlife Road Toll Reduction Project, which includes exclusion fencing, LED road signs, and underpasses and overpasses. The RooBadge is currently being tested in controlled trials in Plenty Gorge and other state parks in Victoria.
Experts suggest that the best solution to driving around wildlife and avoiding hitting native species is to slow down on the road. Some roads may have different legal speed limits at certain times to reduce wildlife collisions, similar to roads around schools during school hours. Additionally, it is recommended to pay attention to wildlife warning signs.
In summary, virtual fencing combined with wildlife crossing infrastructure represents an effective approach to mitigating wildlife roadkill in Victoria, particularly when applied strategically in high-risk areas and adapted to local ecological contexts. While direct quantitative data on the effectiveness of virtual fencing alone in Victoria are limited, the overall approach of integrating fencing with wildlife crossings is supported as successful. Further detailed studies or monitoring outcomes are needed to fully understand the standalone effectiveness of virtual fencing and technology comparisons in Victoria.
Adopting virtual fencing and other home-and-garden solutions, such as LED road signs and underpasses, promotes an outdoor-living lifestyle by reducing wildlife roadkill rates, thereby preserving Victoria's native species and their habitats. Embracing innovations like the RooBadge, which uses AI to deter kangaroos from crossing roads, could become a new aspect of one's lifestyle, fostering a stronger connection with local wildlife.
