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Sara Marques et al. 2010. Impact of roads on ungulate species: a preliminary approach in Portugal
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Figure 3: Distribution of ungulate vehicle-collisions over the months of the year (1999 to 2009) in central
and northern Portugal.
Day time analysis highlights the nigh period that concentrate the biggest ungulate
vehicle-collisions number with 129 cases (70,9%). The accidents involving ungulates
occurred in the evening showed a smaller but still relevant peak with 27 cases of the
182 (14,8%) (Figure 4).
The number of accidents during the dawn and day are the less expressive, corresponding
both to 14,3% of the total ungulate vehicle-collisions in central and northern Portugal.
Figure 4: Ungulate vehicle-collisions at different time of day (dawn; day; evening; night) in central and
northern Portugal (1999-2009 years interval).
4. Discussion
Linear infrastructures like roads and the traffic associated have impacts on wildlife and
particularly in this case, in ungulate species. To understand the size of the problem it’s
imperative to monitor roads kills, on a national scale, and comprehend the various parameters
involved in the accidents.
Our data support that in Portugal the wild boar was the most affected wild ungulate in central
and northern Portugal with 86% of the vehicle-collisions, and in all districts of the study area
this ungulate species was the most affected target because it’s the ungulate more widely
distributed in Continental Portugal, occupying almost the entire national territory except for
large urban settlements and some coastal areas (Vingada et al. 2010).
Forest Landscapes and Global Change-New Frontiers in Management, Conservation and Restoration. Proceedings of the IUFRO Landscape Ecology
Working Group International Conference, September 21-27, 2010, Bragança, Portugal. J.C. Azevedo, M. Feliciano, J. Castro & M.A. Pinto (eds.)
2010, Instituto Politécnico de Bragança, Bragança, Portugal.