KUALA LUMPUR – Installing wildlife crossings is not the only solution to reducing wildlife-related roadkill, environmentalists say.
Speaking to Scoop recently, Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia Programme country director Mark Rayan Darmaraj expressed the necessity of conducting a thorough survey on wildlife zones and the need to construct suitable wildlife crossings before implementing such measures.
“First and foremost, in relation to new roads being built, the best thing we can do is to make sure that we don’t fragment contiguous forested areas and should align or realign roads to avoid bisecting these areas.
“If there is absolutely no way to prevent this infrastructure from bisecting these forested areas, then allocating and incorporating enough budget to identify locations and enabling as many wildlife crossings to be built to facilitate safer movement for wildlife to cross roads needs to be prioritised.
“So, there is definitely value in constructing wildlife crossings, which are also called viaducts, if they are well-planned and the location is based on data on wildlife presence or movement,” he said.
In May, a Malayan tiger, which is an endangered species, was killed in a collision with a vehicle on the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Motorway near Lentang in Bentong, Pahang.
It was not the first wildlife killed by motor vehicles on highways, but it nevertheless sparked discussion among internet users. Some advocated for more wildlife crossings in rural areas and along highways to reduce human-wildlife conflicts and avoid the tragic occurrence of endangered species being killed on roads.
Mark also added that wildlife crossings should not be a standalone solution and must go hand-in-hand with other conservation initiatives as well.
“For example, there is a risk of the viaduct becoming a white elephant if the surrounding forests are not gazetted or not protected against development projects.
“This aspect of retaining forest cover within and around ecological linkages is even more critical than constructing viaducts themselves because there is no point in building a viaduct if there are no more animals inhabiting these forested areas and there is no more movement of wildlife,” he said.
When asked about the suitable areas to establish wildlife crossings, Mark said the Central Forest Spine Master Plan for Ecological Linkages provides a blueprint for important ecological corridors that link large forested landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia.
“This is a good starting point for us to assess if roads within these ecological corridors or the larger forest complexes are impeding wildlife movement or are faced with escalating roadkill.
“Within many of these corridors, there are potential locations that could be identified to construct wildlife crossings, ideally through a systematic wildlife survey conducted around a suitable stretch of road that is forested on both sides,” he said.
Identify hotspots for wildlife crossings
Currently, there is no official data on the number of animals killed in road accidents over the past decade.
“Between 2015 and 2019, there were reported incidents of roadkill in Peninsular Malaysia, including one tiger, five elephants, two sambar deer, two serow, 66 tapirs, seven sun bears, and five leopards,” Mark said.
He added that analysing the historical data on animal roadkills in Malaysia could facilitate the identification of hotspots for constructing wildlife crossings in the country.
There are three viaducts – Belum-Temenggor in Perak, Sg Yu in Pahang, and Kenyir in Terengganu – constructed beneath roads to facilitate the movement of wildlife animals, Mark said.
“While the effectiveness of these viaducts is yet to be fully assessed, there is a lack of significant findings published in the media, aside from sporadic reports indicating the usage of these viaducts by more common wildlife species,” he added.
Use more caution when designing roads
Mark said road planners should closely consider this aspect, particularly in biodiversity hotspots and forested landscapes recognised as crucial habitats for endangered species like tigers.
His advice is to avoid constructing roads that fragment forest complexes or patches during the planning stage, rather than opting for viaducts or tunnels after the road has been completed.
He also pointed out that building viaducts is expensive, suggesting that it would be preferable to refrain from constructing roads in forest landscapes altogether.
As an alternative, he said the government could implement safety measures such as installing speed breakers and wildlife warning signs, as well as provide adequate lighting at night to prevent roadkill of endangered species.
Furthermore, the Wildlife and National Parks Department has erected over 300 wildlife crossing signs across Peninsular Malaysia to encourage motorists to slow down in those areas.
However, Mark said that the optimal solution would be to minimise the construction of roads that traverse forests.
“As long as this happens, there will always be a chance of animals being involved in collisions by vehicles, which is not only detrimental to wildlife but also endangers human lives,” he said.
Upgrade navigation apps to show hotspot areas
Meanwhile, Malaysian Nature Society executive director Shanmugaraj Subramaniam also emphasised the need for navigation applications to undergo upgrades that include features indicating wildlife hotspots.
“With apps like Waze and Google Maps, there’s an opportunity for enhancement to include notifications such as ‘drive slow, wildlife crossing zone’ or even specify the particular wildlife species present in the area,” Shanmugaraj suggested.
“By providing such information, road users can be more alert and adopt safer driving practices.”
“We must adapt to sharing the roads with animals, as it is their natural habitat. I find it concerning that navigation apps lack disclaimers for these areas designated for wildlife conservation,” he added.
Additionally, he suggested the government prioritise educating the public about driving cautiously and linking it to the preservation of wildlife species. – July 6, 2024
