Assessing and Managing the Ecological Impacts of Paved Roads

Assessing and Managing the Ecological Impacts of Paved Roads PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2006-01-22

Total Pages: 325

ISBN-13: 0309100887

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All phases of road developmentâ€"from construction and use by vehicles to maintenanceâ€"affect physical and chemical soil conditions, water flow, and air and water quality, as well as plants and animals. Roads and traffic can alter wildlife habitat, cause vehicle-related mortality, impede animal migration, and disperse nonnative pest species of plants and animals. Integrating environmental considerations into all phases of transportation is an important, evolving process. The increasing awareness of environmental issues has made road development more complex and controversial. Over the past two decades, the Federal Highway Administration and state transportation agencies have increasingly recognized the importance of the effects of transportation on the natural environment. This report provides guidance on ways to reconcile the different goals of road development and environmental conservation. It identifies the ecological effects of roads that can be evaluated in the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of roads and offers several recommendations to help better understand and manage ecological impacts of paved roads.

Roads and the Environment

Roads and the Environment PDF

Author: Christopher J. Hoban

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 1997

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13:

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Content Description #Includes bibliographical references and index.

Road Ecology

Road Ecology PDF

Author: Richard T.T. Forman

Publisher: Island Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 496

ISBN-13: 9781559639330

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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: foundations of road ecology roads, vehicles, and transportation planning vegetation and roadsides wildlife populations and mitigation water, sediment, and chemical flows aquatic ecosystems wind, noise, and atmospheric effects road networks and landscape fragmentation Road Ecology links ecological theories and concepts with transportation planning, engineering, and travel behavior. With more than 100 illustrations and examples from around the world, it is an indispensable and pioneering work for anyone involved with transportation, including practitioners and planners in state and province transportation departments, federal agencies, and nongovernmental organizations. The book also opens up an important new research frontier for ecologists.

Handbook of Road Ecology

Handbook of Road Ecology PDF

Author: Rodney van der Ree

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2015-06-15

Total Pages: 562

ISBN-13: 1118568184

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Winner of the IENE Project Award 2016. This authoritative volume brings together some of the world’s leading researchers, academics, practitioners and transportation agency personnel to present the current status of the ecological sustainability of the linear infrastructure – primarily road, rail and utility easements – that dissect and fragment landscapes globally. It outlines the potential impacts, demonstrates how this infrastructure is being improved, and how broad ecological principles are applied to mitigate the impact of road networks on wildlife. Research and monitoring is an important aspect of road ecology, encompassing all phases of a transportation project. This book covers research and monitoring to span the entire project continuum – starting with planning and design, through construction and into maintenance and management. It focuses on impacts and solutions for species groups and specific regions, with particular emphasis on the unique challenges facing Asia, South America and Africa. Other key features: Contributions from authors originating from over 25 countries, including from all continents Each chapter summarizes important lessons, and includes lists of further reading and thoroughly up to date references Highlights principles that address key points relevant to all phases in all road projects Explains best-practices based on a number of successful international case studies Chapters are "stand-alone", but they also build upon and complement each other; extensive cross-referencing directs the reader to relevant material elsewhere in the book Handbook of Road Ecology offers a comprehensive summary of approximately 30 years of global efforts to quantify the impacts of roads and traffic and implement effective mitigation. As such, it is essential reading for those involved in the planning, design, assessment and construction of new roads; the management and maintenance of existing roads; and the modifying or retrofitting of existing roads and problem locations. This handbook is an accessible resource for both developed and developing countries, including government transportation agencies, Government environmental/conservation agencies, NGOs, and road funding and donor organisations.

Wildlife and Roads

Wildlife and Roads PDF

Author: Bryan Sherwood

Publisher: World Scientific

Published: 2002-06-12

Total Pages: 316

ISBN-13: 1783261226

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Wildlife and Roads: The Ecological Impact is a timely publication, as there are growing concerns about the impact made by roads on the environment. Many of the aspects of the complex problem of siting new roads and lessening their negative environmental effects are addressed by contributors who are specialists in their respective subject areas. Among the topics discussed are legal aspects, transport interests, planners' and contractors' viewpoints, plant and animal ecology, and innovative solutions to some of the problems that roads inevitably impose on the natural environment. The articles are based on papers presented at a meeting held by the Linnean Society of London. Each author has made revisions for this book where necessary to reflect current circumstances. Contents:Wildlife and Roads: A Governments Perspective (H Wenban-Smith)Balancing Environment and Transport (J M Dickson-Simpson)Transport and Sustainable Development (C Findlay)Transport and the Biodiversity Action Plan (G Wynne)Public Opinion, Wildlife and Roads (T Juniper)The Ecological Impact of Air Pollution from Roads (M Ashmore)The Ecological Effects of Road Lighting (A Outen)Roads as Barriers (P Anderson)A Decision Support System for Roadside Deadwood (L Wyatt)Measures to Protect Amphibians and Reptiles from Road Traffic (A E S Langton)Wildlife Mortality: Head-on Collisions (J Barton)and other papers Readership: Graduate students, road planners, civil engineers and researchers in environmental science and ecology. Keywords:Ecology;Wildlife;Roads

The Roads from Rio

The Roads from Rio PDF

Author: Pamela Chasek

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012-04-23

Total Pages: 314

ISBN-13: 1136450882

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At the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, popularly known as the Rio Earth Summit, the world’s leaders constructed a new "sustainable development" paradigm that promised to enhance environmentally sound economic and social development. Twenty years later, the proliferation of multilateral environmental agreements points to an unprecedented achievement, but is worth examining for its accomplishments and shortcomings. This book provides a review of twenty years of multilateral environmental negotiations (1992-2012). The authors have participated in most of these negotiating processes and use their first-hand knowledge as writers for the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Earth Negotiations Bulletin as they illustrate the changes that have taken place over the past twenty years. The chapters examine the proliferation of meetings, the changes in the actors and their roles (governments, nongovernmental organizations, secretariats), the interlinkages of issues, the impact of scientific advice, and the challenges of implementation across negotiating processes, including the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention to Combat Desertification, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Commission on Sustainable Development, the UN Forum on Forests, the chemicals conventions (Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam), the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, the Convention on Migratory Species and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

Green Roads for Water

Green Roads for Water PDF

Author: Frank van Steenbergen

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2021-07-14

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1464816778

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Roads and water are generally seen as enemies, with water responsible for most of the damage to roads, and roads being a major cause of problems such as erosion, waterlogging, flooding, and dust storms. This tension, however, can be reversed. The concept of Green Roads for Water (also known as “Green Roads†? or “roads for water†?) places roads in the service of water and landscape management and climate resilience without sacrificing or diminishing their transport functions. With global investment in roads of US$1†“US$2 trillion per year, plus maintenance costs, the widespread adoption of Green Roads approaches can leverage investment at a transformative scale, making road development and maintenance a vital tool for achieving climate resilience, water security, and productive use of natural resources. Green Roads for Water: Guidelines for Road Infrastructure in Support of Water Management and Climate Resilience provides strategies to use roads for beneficial water management tailored to diverse landscapes and climates, including watershed areas, semiarid climates, coastal lowlands, mountainous areas, and floodplains. The underlying premise of Green Roads is therefore quite simple: designing roads to fit their natural and anthropomorphic contexts; minimize externalities; and balance preservation of the road, water resources, landscape, and soil resources will usually cost less than traditional protective resilience approaches and will produce more sustainable overall outcomes.

Environmental Impacts of Road Vehicles

Environmental Impacts of Road Vehicles PDF

Author: R M Harrison

Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry

Published: 2017-06-16

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1782628924

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The first concerns that come to mind in relation to pollution from road vehicles are direct emissions of carbon dioxide and toxic air pollutants. These are, of course, important but the impacts of road traffic are altogether more substantial. This volume of the Issues in Environmental Science and Technology Series takes a broader view of the effects on the environment and human health, excluding only injury due to road traffic accidents. By looking across the environmental media, air, water and soil, and taking account also of noise pollution, the volume addresses far more than the conventional atmospheric issues. More importantly, however, it examines present and future vehicle technologies, the implications of more extensive use of batteries in electric vehicles and the consequences of recycling vehicles at the end of use. Finally, examples of life-cycle analysis as applied to road vehicles are reviewed. This book is a comprehensive source of authoritative information for students studying pollution, and for policy-makers concerned with vehicle emissions and road traffic impacts more generally.