EFEITO DO CLIMA E DO USO DO SOLO SOBRE O ATROPELAMENTO DE VERTEBRADOS NA BR-319: NOVOS DESAFIOS PARA A FAUNA NA AMAZÔNIA CENTRAL

Abstract

Roads have significant impacts on wildlife, with roadkill posing a major threat to many species. In the Amazon, highways cut through biodiversity-rich ecosystems, exposing mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians to roadkill risks. Increasing traffic and the expansion of road networks have contributed to population declines, influenced by environmental characteristics and seasonal conditions in each region. In this context, the objective of our study was to identify the temporal variation of roadkill hotspots and investigate their relationship with climatic (temperature and precipitation) and landscape (forest, agricultural, and wetland cover) factors. We used a roadkill database from the first 177.8 km of BR-319 (Manaus – Porto Velho) from 2017 to 2021 to evaluate variations in hotspots over time and investigate how climatic and landscape factors affect roadkills at different buffers (500m, 1km, 5km, and 10km). We recorded 673 roadkill incidents (107 mammals, 251 reptiles, 152 birds, and 163 amphibians). Our study identified distinct hotspot patterns among different animal classes. Climatic and landscape factors significantly influenced roadkill rates, with higher temperatures correlating with more roadkill, while precipitation generally reduced incidents. Additionally, higher forest and water cover helped reduce roadkill across various species. The results suggest that climatic and landscape factors play crucial roles in shaping roadkill patterns, highlighting the need for conservation strategies specific to the context of highways. We conclude that mitigating roadkill along BR-319 will require integrated approaches that consider environmental variables, traffic management, and habitat protection to reduce wildlife mortality.