Run-over of wild mammals in the area of Telmaco Borba, Paran, Brazil

Run-over of wild mammals in the area of Telmaco Borba, Paran, Brazil

Tnia Zaleski, MSc1 Post grade Program in Zoology Federal University of Paran Vlamir Rocha, Dr. Klabin S.A. Srgio Ado Filipaki Klabin S.A Emygdio Leite de Araujo Monteiro-Filho, Dr. Federal University of Paran and Instituto de Pesquisa Canania IPeC ABSTRACT Nowadays, the running-over of animals in roads is one of the main threats to the wild fauna. Between January 1994 and December 2002, 601 small, medium, and large mammals were ran-over on the roads inside the Fazenda Monte Alegre, in east-central Paran. Among the species most victimized were Mazama gouzoubira, Nasua nasua, and Cerdocyon thous. The period with the greatest incidence of run-overs was springtime and the high speed of vehicles was the major culprit. Among the measures that might contribute for the reduction in these figures are: environmental education, improvement in the signaling of the roads, better oversight and control of speed, and speed controllers. Keywords: threats, roads, mastofauna, mortality.

INTRODUCTION The ecological impacts caused by roads have been considered by many authors as one of the main responsible factors for loss of biodiversity in the world (Fearnside, 1989, 1990; Schonewald-Cox & Buechner, 1992; Pdua et al., 1995; Goosem, 1997; Forman & Alexander, 1998; Trombulak & Frissell, 2000; Scoss, 2002), mainly because of the fragmentation of natural habitats, the increase of the fringe in relation to the total area of remaining forests, and loss of fauna cause by running-overs (Goosem, 1997). The barrier created by roads, besides fragmenting the landscape, interrupts the flux of

some species and causes expressive changes in the ecological relationships between the species that inhabit the fringes (Mader, 1984; Burnett, 1992; Forman & Alexander, 1998; Scoss, 2002). The extension band of these effects varies according to ecological factors such as: the species, the soil, and water; and also depends on local conditions of each road, such as: (i) building characteristics (width, presence or absence of pavement, and type of vegetation coverage on the sides); (ii) density of vehicles per day; (iii) speed reached by the vehicles; and (iv) type of landscape crossed by the road (Forman, 2000). The high mortality rates of animals by runovers on roads are reported in several countries (Bellis & Graves, 1971; Oxley et al., 1974; Puglisi et al., 1974; Reed et al., 1975; Hamer, 1994; Noss, 2002). In Brazil, the impact of run-

t.zaleski@uol.com.br

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overs on the fauna is little known (Vieira, 1996; Ribeiro & Monchiski, 1998; Fischer, 2002; Cndido Junior et al., 2002; Rodrigues et al., 2002; Scoss, 2002). Considering that the country has an extended network of roads, of approximately 1,725,000 square kilometers (GEIPOT, 2001), and several of them cross forest areas which present considerable fauna, knowing which species are the most affected and the locations with the highest run-over incidence is fundamental to devise measures that minimize these impacts. The species most negatively affected by roads are those which do not adapt well to fringe environments, are sensitive to human contact, occur in low densities, are improbable or incapable of crossing roads, and seek roads to get warm or for food (Schonewald-Cox & Buechner, 1992). Brazil presents one of the greatest diversities of mammals in the world, with 652 out of the approximately 4,650 species that exist, and this figure is considered underestimated (Reis et al., 2006). The state of Paran presents approximately 28% of the species of this fauna (Reis et al., 2005); however, 32 of these species are already endangered in the state (Mikich & Brnils, 2004). Taking into consideration the intimate relationships between wild mammals and the Brazilian ecosystems, these figures are certainly related to the great reduction, fragmentation, and other anthropic impacts on natural areas (Reis et al., 2006). Having in mind that the interaction between the fauna and the roads is still poorly recorded in Brazil, this study aims at recording mammal species run-over on the PR-160 and secondary roads in the sections that cross the Fazenda Monte Alegre, in the municipality of Telmaco Borba, state of Paran, between 1994 and 2002. The most affected species were identified, so were the sections and the seasons when the run-overs predominantly occurred, and measures were proposed to decrease the number of incidents.

METHODS The study was done at the Fazenda Monte Alegre (2412 S, 5033 W; FIGURE 1), which is located inside the city limits of Telmaco Borba, state of Paran, southern Brazil. The property belongs to Klabin S.A., and has an area of approximately 126,000 ha, 37.15% of which correspond to preservation areas, 53.65% is made of areas of forestry of eucalyptus, pine trees, and Paran pine, forming a mosaic with native vegetation; and 9.2% is constituted of buildings (Relatrio de Informaes Gerais Klabin, 2000). The buildings are a paper mill, two housing complexes (Harmonia and Lagoa) for employees, and the Ecological Park. Because it is a company that produces paper and cellulose, as well as pine and eucalyptus logs, the roads that cross the property present an intense traffic of both cars and trucks. The region is characterized as an environmental mosaic made up of Cerrado, mixed ombrophilous forests, seasonal semideciduous forests, the transition of the latter two, as well as meadow areas (Bernarde & Machado, 2000). Climate ranges from transitional subtropical to temperate, without a dry season (Kppen, Cfa/Cfb). The period with the greatest pluviosity occurs between December and February, while the dry season is between July and August, with a low frequency of frosts. The average pluviosity per year is 1,490mm, the average temperature during the year is 19.3C and the annual relative humidity is 77% (Relatrio de Informaes Gerais Klabin, 2000). The Fazenda Monte Alegre presents 83 mammal species, distributed into nine orders and 24 families (Reis et al., 2005). Several of these species inhabit not only the natural areas but also the reforestation ones (Relatrio de Informaes Gerais Klabin, 2000). It is crossed by three different types of road: a) a paved road (PR-160), b) roads paved with macadam, and c) unpaved roads. The PR-160 road crosses the property in the N-S direction, is 35 kilometers long, and connects the cities of

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Run-over of wild mammals in the area of Telmaco Borba, Paran, Brazil

Curiva and Telmaco Borba, state of Paran. There are approximately 1,100 kilometers of macadam-paved roads and the unpaved roads totalize around 9,600 kilometers. This study includes PR-160 and the macadampaved roads, which have on their margins vegetation constituted of pine trees, eucalyptus, and Paran pine plantations. Native vegetation occurs only in spots that involve passages of rivers. The 9,600 kilometers of unpaved roads were not taken into consideration because there was no record of run-overs during the period of the study. Sampling Design In 1994, a program of collection of run-over animals was established in the roads that cross the Fazenda. Both its employees and inhabitants were instructed to take the run-over animals, regardless of their conservation state, to the Ecological Park and, when the collection was not possible, they should inform the Park administrator about its location. The administrator would, then, proceed with the collection of the animal. For each animal that arrived to the Park, the date and location of the finding, the species (common name), the gender, and the collector were registered and, beginning in 2002, also the animals weight. The locations of the findings were described by the collector and the characteristics of the location and/or proximity to some commonly known location were taken into account. Since the identification of the animal was done through its common name, the employees responsible for receiving the animals were previously trained in order to standardize the popular names. In case there was doubt about the identification, the animals were frozen and the biologist in charge would identify them when he could, otherwise, the animals were discarded. Mammals run-over between 1994 and 2002 were taken into consideration. Other taxa (amphibians, reptiles, birds) were also found run-over on the roads, but they were not taken into account in this study because of the difficulty in identifying them and because of

their small sizes. According to Silva et al. (2007), the locating of smaller carcasses, such as those of amphibians and reptilians, is more effective when one slowly passes through the sections that are being evaluated, on a bike, for instance. The aid of Klabin employees and inhabitants of the Fazenda Monte Alegre was essential in obtaining results. In order to facilitate the determination of locations with the biggest number of ran-over animals, 40 spots were established, taking into consideration similarities of the road (straight roads, curves, and declivities) and marginal vegetation. Spots 1 to 28 correspond to sectors of PR-160. Spots 29 to 34 correspond to macadam-paved roads. Spot 29 is

Brazil
Tropic of Capricorn

Paran

Fazenda Monte Alegre

PR 60 -1

Lagoa
PR -0 90

Telmaco Borba

Harmonia

Floresta Nativa Reflorestamento

FIGURE 1: Location of the Fazenda Monte Alegre in the state of Paran, highlighted in a map of Brazil.

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located near a housing complex which was deactivated in January 1999. Spots 35 and 36 correspond to the Harmonia and Lagoa housing complexes, respectively. Spots 37 and 38 are located near the limits of the Fazenda Monte Alegre. Spot 39 corresponds to a group of occurrences in the Fazenda Monte Alegre which identification of the location was not possible. Finally, number 40 refers to mammals ran-over and collected on the PR-160, inside the property, but without any details about the location (TABLE 1; FIGURE 2).

Because of the fact that information about the collection location was obtained from a preexisting file, it was not possible to determine the type of marginal vegetation of each runover, since the information was not on the chart. Only in 2002 this information was verified and a relationship between the type of marginal vegetation and run-over incidence was established. The incidence was compared by month and by season, with the following calendar being

TABLE 1: Spots corresponding to sectors of the roads inside Fazenda Monte Alegre, state of Paran, along the number of ranover animals and characteristics of the location. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Characteristics Bridge over the Rio Tibagi Section in declivity near a water course Acess road to the pine and eucalyptus log depot Roundabout to the Harmonia housing complex Quite sinuous section, near the Harmonia housing complex. The section is also crossed by a creek. Access road to the Harmonia housing complex, deactivated in 2001 Straight road; thick marginal vegetation Section of straight road interspersed with sharp curves; thick marginal vegetation Straight road and short marginal vegetation Straight road and short marginal vegetation Straight road; little marginal vegetation Straight road and short marginal vegetation Straight road; tall marginal vegetation Straight road; tall marginal vegetation Sharp curve Straight road and short marginal vegetation Straight road; thick marginal vegetation Straight road; thick marginal vegetation Straight road; short marginal vegetation Straight road; thick marginal vegetation Sinuous section near the Lagoa housing complex Straight road; thick marginal vegetation l Region crossed by a river (Rio Pinheiro Seco) Straight road; short marginal vegetation Straight road; short marginal vegetation Straight road; thick marginal vegetation Straight road; thick marginal vegetation Region crossed by a river (Rio das Antas) Macadam-paved road with intense truck traffic Macadam-paved road; thick marginal vegetation Macadam-paved road; thick marginal vegetation Macadam-paved road; thick marginal vegetation No. of occurrences 1 10 6 15 38 12 13 27 25 16 3 12 10 13 18 3 25 16 7 10 14 11 33 4 14 4 6 3 34 20 12 3
Continues

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Run-over of wild mammals in the area of Telmaco Borba, Paran, Brazil

Continuation - Table 1

No. 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Characteristics Macadam-paved road; thick marginal vegetation Macadam-paved road; usually presenting thick marginal vegetation Housing complex; near a dumpster; surrounded by native vegetation Housing complex Housing complex Boundaries of the property Occurrence without record of the location PR-160 without any details about the location

No. of occurrences 4 37 26 9 10 14 34 29

FIGURE 2: Detail of the Fazenda Monte Alegre, state of Paran showing the spots of occurrences of run-overs on the PR-160 and macadam-paved roads

adopted: summer (from January to March), autumn (from April to June), winter (from July to September), and spring (from October to December). Run-over frequency by season and by month was compared using the chisquare test ( = 0.05). Run-over impact, in terms of mass, was obtained in order to verify how much weight of each species was removed from the populations. The weight was estimated by multiplying the number of ran-over mammals from each species by their average weight. The average weight was obtained through the weight of ran-over animals and from data ob-

tained in the literature (Cimardi, 1996; Eisenberg, 1989; Silva, 1984). RESULTS During the study in the sampled area, 601 small, medium-sized, and large ran-over mammals, belonging to 29 species, were recorded (TABLE 2). The most ran-over species were Mazama gouazoubira, Nasua nasua, Cerdocyon thous, Dasypus novemcinctus, Tamandua tetradactyla, Didelphis albiventris, and Tayassu tajacu (TABLE 2). These species represent 70% of all the ran-over mammals. If we take into account the losses in weight, the

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most affected species were Mazama gouazoubira, Tayassu tajacu, Cerdocyon thous, Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris, and Tamandua tetradactyla, which represented a loss of over 70% of all the recorded weight (TABLE 2). The PR-160 road had the greatest number of run-overs: 66.2% of the total. From the seven locations identified as having the most occurrences of run-overs, five were located on the PR-160. Location five was responsible for 6.32% of the total of run-overs, and the most affected species was the marsupial Didelphis albiventris. Location 29, which presented 5.66% of the run-overs, was located on a non-

paved road that presented a heavy traffic of vehicles until January 1999. After this date, the flux was greatly reduced because of the de-activation of the housing complex that this road gave access to. The run-overs decreased from an average of six per year, between 1994 and 1998, to approximately two per year, between 1999 and 2002. Location 23 represented 5.49% of the total found in the study and the species most affected were Mazama gouazoubira, Nasua nasua, Cerdocyon thous, Tamandua tetradactyla, and Eira barbara. Location 8 was responsible for 4.49% of the run-overs, with the Mazama gouazoubira being the most affected species. On location 9, Cerdocyon thous,

TABLE 2: Number (n) and weight (kg) of ran-over mammals, between 1994 and 2002, in the Fazenda Monte Alegre, state of Paran. Order Didelphimorphia Chiroptera Primates Xenarthra Family Didelphidae Phyllostomidae Cebidae Myrmecophagidae Dasypodidae Species No. 48 8 1 2 6 61 3 65 13 13 7 3 1 10 1 5 3 75 13 83 20 2 1 5 11 35 102 2 601 Weight (kg) 67 12 0,1 16 138 396 5 325 65 39 7 5 1 500 10 15 69 525 104 332 100 4 12 300 33 700 2346 34 ~6,200

Lagomorpha Rodentia

Leporidae Erethizontidae Caviidae Hydrochaeridae Agoutidae Dasyproctidae Canidae Procyonidae Mustelidae

Carnivora

Felidae Artiodactyla Tayassuidae Cervidae

Didelphis albiventris Didelphis aurita Chrotopterus auritus Alouatta clamitans Myrmecophaga tridactyla Tamandua tetradactyla Dasypus septemcinctus Dasypus novemcinctus Euphractus sexcinctus Lepus europaeus Sylvilagus brasiliensis Sphiggurus villosus Cavia aperea Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris Agouti paca Dasyprocta azarae Chrysocyon brachyurus Cerdocyon thous Procyon cancrivorus Nasua nasua Eira barbara Galictis cuja Lontra longicaudis Puma concolor Leopardus tigrinus Tayassu tajacu Mazama gouazoubira Mazama nana

Total

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Dasypus novemcinctus, and Mazama gouazoubira were the most common species. On location 35, there were 26 run-overs, and the Nasua nasua was the most run-over species, on location 17, the most run-over species in the 25 occurrences recorded was Tamandua tetradactyla. In relation to the type of marginal vegetation, taking into account only run-overs occurring in 2002, the greatest incidences were observed when one of the margins was covered with Paran Pine and the other with eucalyptus, or when both margins were covered with pine trees (TABLE 3).
TABLE 3: Marginal vegetation present on run-over locations in the Fazenda Monte Alegre, state of Paran, in 2002.
Type of vegetation No. of occurrences %

Distribution along the year was verified for the most ran-over species. For instance, for Didelphis albiventris, the months with the greatest incidence of run-overs were October to December. For Tamandua tetradactyla, Tayassu tajacu, Cerdocyon thous and Mazama gouazoubira, run-overs occurred at the same frequency over the year. Dasypus novemcinctus and Nasua nasua run-overs, on the other hand, concentrated in November.
Number of individuals 120 105 90 75 60 45 30 15 0 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Years 2000 2001 2004

Paran pine and Eucalyptus 13 Paran pine and pine trees 3 Eucalyptus and Eucalyptus 7 Eucalyptus and Native vegetation 6 Eucalyptus and pine trees 10 Native vegetation and Paran pine1 Native vegetation and 4 Native vegetation Native vegetation and pine trees 7 Pine trees and pine trees 13 Total 64

20.3 4.7 10.9 9.4 15.6 1.7 6.2 10.9 20.3 100

Number of individuals 210 180 150 120 90 60 30 0 Fall Win Seasons Number of individuals 100 80 60 40 20 0
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

Spr

Sum

The years of the greatest incidence of runovers were 2002 and 1997, and there was noticeable gradual increase in run-over numbers during the nine years of the study (FIGURE 3A). Spring was the season in which most run-overs were recorded (c2=10.75; g.l.=3; P<0.01 FIGURE 3B) and the most affected species was the Tamandua tetradactyla, followed by the Mazama gouazoubira. Variation was also significant over months (c2= 25.98; g.l.= 11; P<0.005; FIGURE 3C), with July presenting fewer run-overs and November presenting more. The most affected species were Tamandua tetradactyla and Cerdocyon thous in July, and Dasypus novemcinctus and Nasua nasua in November.

Months

FIGURE 3: A) Number of run-overs per year in the Fazenda Monte Alegre, state of Paran. B) Number of run-overs per season. C) Number of run-overs per month.

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DISCUSSION Run-overs represent a primary cause of death on roads and, in relation to mammals, estimates done in the past point to 159,000 ranover individuals per year in the Netherlands (Forman & Alexander, 1998) and 2,700 in the Brazilian Cerrado, taking into account only mid-sized and large mammals (Vieira, 1996). This study found out a significant number of mid-sized and large mammals that were ranover on roads in central-eastern Paran. In spite of the fact that a specific method for the study was not followed, and the methods applied to other studies do not allow for more profound comparisons, some inferences could be made. Few studies are known to be made in the state that deal with run-over of the wild fauna; two of them were done on the margins of the Iguau National Park (Lima & Obara. 2004; Cndido-Junior et al, 2002) and another took into consideration species of reptilians ranover on the roads near the Morro da Mina Nature Reserve, in Guaraqueaba (Silva et al., 2007). However, similar studies in the area covered by this study are not known. The number of ran-over mammals that was obtained might be underestimated, even with the daily collection of carcasses on the main roads that cross the property. Several animals that collide with vehicles might fall off the road or move outside the road, and die without being detected. Besides, many carcasses, specially of small species, are quickly withdrawn from the tarmac by carrion birds such as Caracara plancus, Coragyps atratus, Sarcoramphus papa, and Mivalgo chimachima (Lod, 2000; Cndido Jnior et al., 2002; and Rodrigues et al., 2002), that were sighted in the study area. There are also animals that are run-over on purpose and collected to be eaten (V.R. personal observation). Among the species run-over in the Fazenda Monte Alegre, the species that stand out are Alouatta clamitans, Chrysocyon brachyurus, Leopardus tigrinus, Mazama nana,

Myrmecophaga tridactyla, and Puma concolor, because they are listed on IBAMAs Official List of Endangered Mammals in Brazil (MMA, 2006) and in the Red Book of Endangered Fauna in the State of Paran (Mikich & Brnils, 2004). Besides them, there are also other species that stand out, such as Chrotopterus auritus, Dasypus novemcinctus, Lontra longicaudis, Mazama gouazoubira, Tayassu tajacu, Sylvilagus brasiliensis and Tayassu pecari which are endangered as well in the state (Mikich & Brnils, 2004). Several of these species no longer find appropriate reproduction conditions due to the destruction of their natural habitats and/or the fact that they present low reproductive potential (Margarido, 2002). Thus, loss of individuals through run-over might have serious effects on local populations. The damages caused to the fauna by runovers expressed on weight show that even species with low numbers of run-overs had significant losses, as is the case of the Puma concolor that, despite having only five ranover individuals, is responsible for 4.83% of lost weight. Besides the effects on the fauna that have already been discussed, Bissonette & Adair (2008) call attention to greater economic and human losses in accidents that involve large mammals. In this type of collision, damage to vehicles is greater, and the wounds on humans are increased, when compared to smaller animals. According to Forman et al. (2003), collisions with large vertebrates represent one of the greatest risks to road safety. Despite the fact that it was not possible to verify the speed reached by vehicles on the main roads in the property, it was observed that many surpassed the maximum allowed speed, especially on the PR-160. High speed on the roads seems to be one of the main causes of run-overs, since there is no time for the driver to break or to swerve from the animal and does not allow the animal to run away. Vehicle speed, along with traffic, had already been mentioned by several authors as probably the most important factors that explain collision

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with wild animals (Trombulak & Frissell, 2000; Clevenger et al., 2003; Rolley & Lehman, 1992; Fahrig et al., 1995; Inban & Mayer, 1999; Noss, 2002; Joyce & Rahoney, 2001). Some common features can be observed on the locations that presented a great number of run-overs. Sinuous sections, such as the one found in locations 5, 8, and 9, are more susceptible to run-overs, since visibility is reduced (Dodd Junior et al., 2004). The presence of water courses near roads, observed on locations 5 and 23, serves as an attraction for animals that seek these areas as water sources. Areas presenting thick marginal vegetation, observed on several sections of the PR-160 and other roads in this study, are associated to high incidence of run-overs. Studies show that there is a trend of run-overs of mammals on roads that present thick marginal vegetation, because this coverage gives more protection and safety for the animals to approach the roads. In locations where vegetation is short, animals feel more exposed and are discouraged to cross (Hodson, 1962; Bellis & Graves, 1971; Benneti, 1991). Other locations with high run-over incidence are the roads near housing complexes (Lagoa and Harmonia). The most affected species in these locations are generally animals that feed from leftovers common in urban areas, such as Didelphis albiventris and Nasua nasua. In these instances, these species end up crossing roads in order to access these locations and are frequent run-over victims. Feeding habits, reproductive strategies, and living area, characteristic of each species might make them more vulnerable in specific periods and/or locations. Therefore, basic biology of affected species must be taken into consideration in the moment measures for decreasing run-overs are adopted. In the studied area, a concentration of run-overs was observed during springtime and summertime. Species such as Didelphis albiventris and Nasua nasua present a reproductive period that also includes the warmer months (Rossi et al., 2006; Cheida et al., 2006), leading

individuals to move more in the area, making them more susceptible to run-overs. For other species such as Tamandua tetradactyla and Dasypus novemcinctus, greater locomotion during these periods is associated to the search for food. These species feed on insects (Medri et al., 2005) that become more active during this season (Borror et al., 1989). The peak of activity of these animals occurs predominantly in the dusk (Medri et al, 2005), a time when driver visibility is lower, increasing run-over possibility. Cerdocyn thous, the third most run-over mammal, had its occurrences distributed over the year, as it was observed by Viera (1996) in roads of Central Brasil and in the Iguau National Park by Ribeiro & Monchiski (1998) and by Cndido Junior et al. (2002) and in roads in the state of Santa Catarina (Cherem et al., 2007). The high mortality rate of these animals is associated to their crepuscular and nocturne habits (Cheida et al., 2005) and, because it is an opportunistic generalist animal (Facure & Monteiro-Filho, 1996) which feeds on carcasses on the roads, it becomes more susceptible to run-overs. For Tayassu tajacu, run-overs seem to be associated to the large living areas of the species (Tiepolo & Tomas, 2005), that include the roads in the study area (personal observation). For Mazama gouazoubira, the high incidence of run-overs during the year seems to be associated to its feeding habits, since the species is attracted to the road margins to feed from the marginal vegetation (Bellis & Graves, 1971; Carbaugh, 1970). The real impact of the run-overs on mammal populations is difficult to be assessed, once we do not know the population size of the majority of the species. Some frequently runover species might also be abundant and the size of the population might be little affected by collisions. But certainly, for some species, mortality on roads is an important factor in the reduction of populational density (Rodrigues et al., 2002).

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The effects of roads on the animals depend on several variables, such as the type and abundance of fauna in the area, the type of road, traffic volume, and the time of the year, among others. Surveys done during short periods of time do not portray the reality of the effects of roads over the fauna. The extrapolation of the values obtained during only one time of the year, or estimates of the number of deaths in a region based on data obtained in others must be avoided, under the risk of interpretations that lead to even greater damages to local fauna. Animal management on roads is conflicting, because either permeability between areas around a road is allowed or a management that prevents run-overs is promoted (Dodd Junior et al., 2004). The building of roads must foresee the necessity and create mechanisms that allow permeability of the local wild fauna, without making them more vulnerable to run-overs. Dodd Junior et al. (2004) suggests that one of the best alternatives for roads under construction is the placement of underpasses at frequent intervals which give opportunity for animals of different body sizes to use them. For existing roads, such as those in the study area, actions must be taken that minimize run-overs but that do not make it impossible for animals to move between margins. Many of the run-overs in the study area could be avoided by reduction of speed of the vehicles. In order that this measure is put into effect, it is necessary strictest control by the Highway Patrol, along with the placement of speed reducers such as radars or road bumps. These reducers must be placed near the locations with greatest incidence of run-overs, which have been previously pointed out. Education campaigns are indicated; however, it is necessary that they are done in a more intense fashion and have a national reach. It must be stressed, in these campaigns, that the damages are not caused only to the fauna, but also to people and vehicles involved in the collision. It is also important that emphasis is

given to this fact during drivers courses (Rodrigues et al., 2002). According to Dodd Junior et al. (2004), the margins should be widened on curves, where visibility is reduced, in order to discourage crossing by animals. However, the authors suggest that in straight sections the coverage must extend very close to the road, because in these spots visibility by drivers is greater and this action does not reduce fauna permeability.

Aknowledgements We are grateful to the Klabin S.A. board of directors for allowing the use of the study area and data. To Reginaldo Assncio Machado, for his contribution to the manuscript. This study received grants from the CNPqConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientfico e Tecnolgico (E.L.A. MonteiroFilho).

REFERENCES Bellis, E. D.; Graves, H. B. 1971. Deer mortality on a Pennsylvania interstate highway. Journal of Wildlife Management 35(2): 232-237. Bennett, A.F. 1991. Roads, roadsides and wildlife conservation: a review. In: Saunders, D.A., Hobbs, R.J. (eds.). Nature Conservation 2: the Role of Corridors. Pp. 99117. Australia: R.J. Surrey Beatty Chipping Norton. Bernarde, P. S.; Machado, R. A. 2000. Riqueza de espcies, ambientes de reproduo e temporada de vocalizao da anurofauna em Trs Barras do Paran, Brasil (AMPHIBIA: ANURA). Cuadernos Herpetologia 14(2): 93-104. Bissonette, J.A.; Adair, W. 2008. Restoring

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