Synopsis:
A review of the scientific literature describing the effects of linear developments on wildlife, especially large mammals, was provided. Of particular interest were the types of roads and linear developments created by the oil and pipeline industries in western Canada. The effects of linear developments (roads, powerline/pipeline rights-of-way, deforested strips) on wildlife were examined in the context of regional and landscape ecology. The review describes the different classes of linear disturbances, the various response categories for animal species and the impacts on species for the different classes. The review also provides potential mitigations and recommendations for landscape scale planning of linear disturbances, such as planning development corridors at the regional or landscape scale, access management, thoughtful planning and co-ordination of land-use, and staggering the use of landscapes across the region.
Conclusions:
Literature review examines the effects of linear disturbances on wildlife in the context of regional and landscape ecology. The review describes the different classes of linear disturbances, the various response categories for animal species, and the impacts on species for the different classes. The review also provides potential mitigations and recommendations for landscape scale planning of linear disturbances.
Thresholds/Learnings:
Caveats:
The resulting bibliography must still be considered a selection of the literature available on the subject. This is a very dynamic field with new findings published every month in major scientific journals.
