Journal of Biodiversity & Endangered Species

Spatiotemporal Status of Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions in Banke National Park, Nepal

Abstract

Anish K.C.*, Keshab Dhodari and Narayan Prasad Koju

Wildlife-road kill is the death of wildlife resulting from collision with a moving vehicle. In protected areas, roads have a significant impact on natural environment including health of ecosystems. The most obvious direct effect of these impacts is evidenced by animal mortality on the road. Wildlife-road kill does not occur randomly along roads but are spatially clustered area because wildlife movements tend to be associated with specific habitats, terrain, and adjacent land use types. In an effort to understand these environmental factors and animal susceptible to road kill, this study was conducted in Banke National Park (BaNP), where frequent road accidents occur along East-West (EW) highway. Last 8 (2015-2022) years recorded road kill data (N=402) by BaNP office were used for this study, spatial and temporal data were generated from this data. Total 70.56 km length of EW highway that passes from park was further divided into 141 segments in ArcMap containing each segment of 500 m length. Presence absence of road kill was obtained from spatial join between segments and road kill data. Environmental factors; road curvature, crown cover, land use, distance from settlement, forest type, straightness of road, topography and distance from water source that affect patterns of road kill data were recorded in each segment in field survey. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test and binary logistic regression model were used for data analysis. Wild boar (90), Spotted deer (54) Rhesus monkey (48), Jackal (40) and other mammals were susceptible to wildlife vehicle collision. WVC pattern was recorded in clustering in some locations but was independent to season and time. Total 6 WVC hotspots were identified namely; H₁: Shivakhola, H₂: Khairi, H₃: Muguwa, H₄: Obhari, H₅: Samshergunj and H₆: Pragatinagar for WVC. Land use, canopy cover and distance from settlement are statistically significance with WVC. Distance from water, straightness of road, road curvature, topography of site and forest type were not important in wildlife vehicle collision. Hence more signposts (about laws and the speed limit of the road and also about biodiversity conservation) should be installed to control WVCs.