Ecological connectivity in environmental impact assessments: modelling alternative highway bypass scenarios

IF 1.8 4区社会学 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal Pub Date : 2023-08-20 DOI:10.1080/14615517.2023.2237294

Darrel Tiang Chin Fung, R. van der Ree, Nic McCaffrey, C. Gibbins, A. Lechner

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引用次数: 2

Abstract

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.

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环境影响评估中的生态连通性:模拟替代公路绕道方案

道路建设是全球生物多样性面临的最大威胁之一。本研究解决了线性基础设施环评的空间明确生态评估面临的共同挑战，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(Beaufort)的一条道路绕道的备选道路路线进行了情景分析。该应用包括一个基于专家的连通性模型，该模型结合了最小成本路径、电路理论和图论，对五个具有不同扩散能力和栖息地要求的保护目标(四个物种和一个群体)进行了建模。对于每一个目标，我们模拟了四种不同的道路路线，然后评估了影响最小的路线的缓解方案。结果表明，各目标种受影响程度不同，分散体较长受影响最大。该模型清楚地确定了对连通性总体影响最小的单一路线，并展示了野生动物交叉结构如何通过改善所有目标物种的整体连通性来减轻影响。这个现实世界的案例研究展示了应用透明和定量方法将环境影响评估中的生态连通性建模主流化的潜力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES-

CiteScore

4.60

自引率

22.70%

发文量

期刊介绍： This is the international, peer-reviewed journal of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA). It covers environmental, social, health and other impact assessments, cost-benefit analysis, technology assessment, and other approaches to anticipating and managing impacts. It has readers in universities, government and public agencies, consultancies, NGOs and elsewhere in over 100 countries. It has editorials, main articles, book reviews, and a professional practice section.