
Road Ecology
504 pages
6 x 9
504 pages
6 x 9
A central goal of transportation is the delivery of safe and efficient services with minimal environmental impact. In practice, though, human mobility has flourished while nature has suffered. Awareness of the environmental impacts of roads is increasing, yet information remains scarce for those interested in studying, understanding, or minimizing the ecological effects of roads and vehicles.
Road Ecology addresses that shortcoming by elevating previously localized and fragmented knowledge into a broad and inclusive framework for understanding and developing solutions. The book brings together fourteen leading ecologists and transportation experts to articulate state-of-the-science road ecology principles, and presents specific examples that demonstrate the application of those principles. Diverse theories, concepts, and models in the new field of road ecology are integrated to establish a coherent framework for transportation policy, planning, and projects. Topics examined include:
"How many contributors does it take to provide the best thinking and research about how our road systems and our natural environment can coexist? In the case of Road Ecology: Science and Solutions…the answer is 14…. For any planner who deals with natural areas, this book offers a thoughtful and thought-provoking introduction to an unjustifiably neglected field."
Planning
"…this volume focuses on bringing together information from disparate fields into a coherent framework, accessible to transportation planners as well as ecologists."
Conservation in Practice
Foreword \ Thomas B. Deen
Preface
Acknowledgments
The Metric System in North America
PART I. Roads Vehicles and Ecology
Chapter 1. Foundations of Road Ecology
Chapter 2. Roads
Chapter 3. Vehicles and Planning
PART II. Vegetation and Wildlife
Chapter 4. Roadsides and Vegetation
Chapter 5. Wildlife Populations
Chapter 6. Mitigation for Wildlife
PART III. Water, Chemicals and Atmosphere
Chapter 7. Water and Sediment Flows
Chapter 8. Chemicals along Roads
Chapter 9. Aquatic Ecosystems
Chapter 10. Wind and Atmospheric Effects
PART IV. Road Systems and Further Perspectives
Chapter 11. Road Systems Linked with the Land
Chapter 12. The Four Landscapes with Major
Chapter 13. Roads and Vehicles in Natural Landscapes
Chapter 14. Further Perspectives
Bibliography
About the Authors
Index