Foto: Luisa Vielmi. Conference on Ecology and Transportation Sept. 2014, Malmö, Sweden

Transcription

1 A new LIFE Project for the development of an innovative system to prevent road kills in central Italy Annette Mertens & Simone Ricci, Umbria Regional Government Foto: Luisa Vielmi Conference on Ecology and Transportation Sept. 2014, Malmö,International Sweden

2 LIFE STRADE Demostration of a system for the management and reduction of traffic collisions with wildlife LIFE11BIO/IT/072 Objectives: - the implementation and large-scale demonstration of a newly developed sophisticated system that simultaneously warns drivers and deters wildlife from crossing roads in critical moments, in an interactive way; - the development and large-scale demonstration of an integrated management protocol. Budget: 1,978,917 Duration:

3 Project area Marche Region Pesaro-Urbino Province Umbria Region Terni Province Perugia Province Tuscany Region Siena Province Grosseto Province

4 General Overview Number of Claims PROVINCE TIME PERIOD PG TR GR SI PU 1986/ / / / /2012 ACCIDENTS LENGTH OF ROADS (Km) SURFACE (Km2) ACCIDENTS/ Km ,42 0,19 0,08 0,41 1,33 Total number of claimed accidents = ,31% of the cases: ungulates Unrecorded data include many Natura 2000 species & threatened species

5 Causes of the problem Planned actions Inadequate prevention systems Testing of an innovative prevention system Inadequate driving behaviour Insufficient knowledge of the phenomenon: nr. of road kills, distribution, no common databases etc. Lack of clear regulations and procedures in the responsible authorities Awareness raising Common monitoring and construction of geodatabase Development of monitoring and management protocol

6 The functioning of the interactive road kill prevention system 3 devices will to be installed in each Province = 15

7 Selection of sites Identification of most critical road tracks Rischio basso Rischio medio Rischio alto Strade monitorate

8 Selection of sites Use of camera traps

9 Selection of sites Identification of wildlife trails and tracks

10 Selection of sites Initial experimentation on two road tracks in Grosseto and Terni Provinces

11 The functioning of the road kill prevention system

12 Technical details Sensors for the identification of the presence of animals Infrared sensor, emission of a straight infrared ray Coverage: 100 meters; Angle: 5 Advantage:Long distance Disadvantage: No continuous detection Infrared camera Coverage : 30 meters Angle: 130 Advantage: Obtains images Disadvantage: High power consumption; False allarms A couple of infrared wide-angle sensors Powering: Solar panel Coverage : 20 meters Angle: 90 each sensor Advantage: Continuous detection Disadvantage: 20 meters

13 Technical details 3 pairs of wide-angle infrared sensors on each roadside Covering ~ 120 mt.

14 The functioning of the road kill prevention system

15 Technical details: Installation of the control panel: - Distance between the different components of the system - Providing the necessary energy supply - Codification of signals Characteristics: Programme logic controller Powering with 12 volt; 21 ah batteries Solar panel 50 W MP3 audio card Data transfer modem

16 The functioning of the road kill prevention system

17 Technical details Installation of warning panels for drivers, at 200 mt from the control panel Batteries: 15 Ah Solar panel: 30watt; 12 volt Two alernating flashing lights 12 Volt Radar doppler speed control Step 1: 50 km/h Step 2: 90 km/h Coverage: 200 mt Angle: 11

18 The functioning of the road kill prevention system

19 Technical details Scaring devices Duration of 30 seconds Acoustic scaring devices: 2 x 30 watt MP3 SD audio card

20 Technical details Modem that sends information about: - Charging level of the battery of the control panel - Activation of the sensors - Activation of the scaring devices

21 Technical details Installation of information panels

22 Testing of the functioning of the components

23 Monitoring Installation of camera traps to assess the crossing of animals near the prevention system

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25 Preliminary results SP: 40 (06/06/ /09/2014) CAUSES OF TRIGGERING OF THE PREVENTION SYSTEM N = 484 Human activities (e.g. work on fields): 114 (24%) Monitoring activities :60 (12%) Presence of animals: 310 (64%) Triggering due to animals: TYPES OF ACTIVATION OF THE SYSTEM N = 310 Triggering of the scaring device: 85 (27%) Triggering of the infrared sensor only: 225 (73%)

26 Conclusions and future perspectives: Advantages: - No barrier for wildlife - Minor habituation for wildlife and drivers - Provides data about its effectiveness and about risk situations - Might be a good solution for risk hotspots Disadvantages: - Covers only small areas - Technically demanding To be tested: - In winter rain/snow - Under canopy cover - Long-term effectiveness Future opportunities: Possibility to send data to GPS navigator systems

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