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When fences aren't enough:
How can we avoid colliding with animals?
Wildlife fences and wildlife crossings are expensive and do not always work. Researchers have now investigated new ways to prevent collisions with animals.
Wildlife collisions are a major problem for traffic safety, animal welfare, and the economy in Norway.
New roads and railways divide natural habitats, increasing the risk of traffic accidents.
“Traditional measures like wildlife fences and wildlife crossings are expensive and have varying effectiveness. That's why we are exploring new and more flexible solutions to prevent collisions,” says Gunnhild Svaboe, a researcher at SINTEF.
In a research project, she and her colleagues mapped who is working in this field and what knowledge already exists.
The goal is to develop new solutions for detecting wildlife and issuing warnings.
Fragmented responsibility among many actors
The mapping shows that many different actors work directly or indirectly with wildlife collisions. These include the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Bane NOR, car manufacturers, drone companies, municipalities, and the Norwegian Directorate of Agriculture.
"But responsibilities, knowledge, and data sources are fragmented across research, interest organisations, industry, and public authorities,” says Svaboe.
Several factors contribute to the field being scattered and poorly coordinated:
Both historical and real-time data show where and when animals move along roads and railways.
Not all data is shared
This includes information on wildlife populations, registered collisions, vehicle data, sensors, and user-based reporting solutions.
Historical data can be used to calculate wildlife risk in a particular area.
Real-time data can be used to detect animals quickly, and provide warnings to road users in time.
The researchers found that both the quality and availability of these different data sources vary considerably.
There is a lack of standardisation, and systems for data sharing limits the potential for using the data to develop comprehensive solutions.
Greater prevention is needed
“A consistent finding is that the current system is largely reactive, meaning that much of the activity involves handling collisions after the fact, rather than preventing them through early detection and precise warning,” says Svaboe.
There are different challenges associated with warnings on roads and railways. For example, a train has a much longer braking distance than a car and cannot swerve out of the way.
By the time the train driver sees a moose, it's often too late.
One solution tested on railways is using sounds to scare off wildlife before the train arrives.
Can cars and roads 'talk' to each other?
Human voices proved to be more effective than honking to scare away animals, according to a previous study (link in Norwegian).
A car can both brake and turn. But it's more difficult to warn car drivers directly than train drivers.
Today, road signs are therefore the best preventive warning tool used on roads.
“A possible solution would be to send direct animal warnings to all cars in an area, for example. But that requires the cars and the road to be able to communicate with each other using data sharing,” says the researcher.
Animals get used to traffic and sounds
The survey also revealed challenges related to animal behaviour. Wildlife can gradually get used to sounds and light from traffic.
Animals also respond differently to measures such as drones and warning sounds. This makes it difficult to find solutions that remain effective over the long term.
At the same time, the researchers believe that new technology can provide better warning systems and reduce wildlife collisions.
Sensors, vehicle data, communication systems, and drones could become important tools.
The researchers note that such technology must be used in ways that consider both traffic safety and animal welfare.
“An important step forward will be to establish more structured forms of cooperation and clear frameworks for data sharing. The goal is for available knowledge and technology to be better utilised in the effort to reduce wildlife collisions,” Svaboe says.
Reference:
Svaboe, G.B.A. & Hansen, L. Deteksjon og varsling av vilt på veg og jernbane (Detection and warning of wildlife on roads and railways), SINTEF report, 2026.
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Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no
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