Mitigating road mortality of diamond-backed terrapins (Malaclemy's terrapin) with hybrid barriers at crossing hot spots

Herpetological Conservation and Biology
By: , and 

Links

Abstract

Roads represent a pervasive feature on most landscapes that can pose multiple threats to wildlife populations and substantial challenges for management. To be effective, management strategies must often target where threats are most concentrated. Road mortality and nest predation are well-documented threats to Diamond-backed Terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin) across the majority of their range, including the 8.7-km causeway to Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA, where both are predicted to contribute to population declines if left unmitigated. From 2009 to 2014, we used intensive road surveying to identify spatial peaks (hot spots) of terrapin crossing activity and road mortality and exploit these as targets for management. In 2011, we deployed a hybrid barrier composed of nest boxes, which were designed to prevent terrapins from accessing the road and mitigate nest predation, at one hot spot while leaving two other hot spots unmanaged. We evaluated the impact of the barrier on terrapin emergences on the causeway under a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) design, and a companion study evaluated the effects of nest boxes on nest predation rates. We estimated a 57% reduction in annual terrapin emergences at the barrier site compared to no measurable change at control hot spots. Our findings support the use of hybrid barriers for simultaneously addressing road mortality and nest predation for other terrapin populations at risk to these threats. Our approach highlights the need to design feasible but robust management strategies that target spatial peaks of road mortality while addressing additional threats contributing to population declines of terrapins and other species.

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Mitigating road mortality of diamond-backed terrapins (Malaclemy's terrapin) with hybrid barriers at crossing hot spots
Series title Herpetological Conservation and Biology
Volume 12
Issue 1
Year Published 2017
Language English
Publisher Herpetological Conservation and Biology
Contributing office(s) Coop Res Unit Atlanta
Description 10 p.
First page 202
Last page 211
Country United States
State Georgia
Other Geospatial Jekyll Island
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details