ABSTRACT

Road building is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity globally. This study addressed common challenges for spatially explicit ecological assessments of linear infrastructure EIAs, by first providing an overview of existing approaches and then applying a connectivity model with scenario analysis of alternative road alignments for a road bypass in Beaufort, Australia. The application included an expert-based connectivity model using a combination of least-cost paths, circuit theory, and graph theory to model five conservation targets (four species and one group) with different dispersal abilities and habitat requirements. For each of these targets, we modelled four different road alignments, then assessed mitigation options for the least impactful alignment. The results showed that each target species was dissimilarly impacted, with longer dispersers affected the most. The modelling clearly identified a single alignment with the least overall impact on connectivity and showed how wildlife crossing structures can mitigate impacts through improving overall connectivity for all target species. This real-world case-study demonstrated the potential to apply a transparent and quantitative approach to mainstreaming ecological connectivity modelling in EIAs.

摘要

道路建设是全球生物多样性面临的最大威胁之一。本研究首先概述了现有方法，然后应用连通性模型，对澳大利亚博福特道路绕行的替代道路路线进行场景分析，解决了线性基础设施环境影响评估的空间明确生态评估的常见挑战。该应用程序包括基于专家的连接模型，该模型结合了最低成本路径、电路理论和图论，对具有不同扩散能力和栖息地要求的五个保护目标（四个物种和一个群体）进行建模。对于每个目标，我们对四种不同的道路路线进行了建模，然后评估了影响最小的路线的缓解方案。结果表明，每个目标物种受到的影响不同，较长的分散体受影响最大。该模型清楚地确定了对连通性总体影响最小的单一路线，并展示了野生动物穿越结构如何通过改善所有目标物种的总体连通性来减轻影响。这个现实世界的案例研究证明了应用透明和定量方法将生态连通性模型纳入环境影响评估主流的潜力。