Targeted field testing of wildlife road-crossing structures: koalas and canopy rope-bridges. Goldingay, R. L. & Taylor, B. D. Australian Mammalogy, 39(1):100, 2017.
Targeted field testing of wildlife road-crossing structures: koalas and canopy rope-bridges [link]Paper  doi  abstract   bibtex   
The suitability of structures installed to enable safe passage of wildlife across a road is most frequently determined by monitoring of structures after new roads are built. Rarely are new structures field tested before installation. We installed canopy rope-bridges in an area frequented by koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) with the explicit aim of determining whether koalas might use such structures. Rope-bridges were of four different designs to maximise the likelihood that one might be used, as a precursor to further replication. Infrared cameras were installed on the rope-bridges as well as on two nearby reference trees to compare frequency of use. Over a monitoring period of 2.9 years no koalas were detected on the rope-bridges whereas koalas were recorded on the reference trees on 34 and 41 different 24-h periods. Rope-bridges may not be suited to an arboreal mammal that is inclined to travel along the ground to move between trees.
@article{goldingay_targeted_2017,
	title = {Targeted field testing of wildlife road-crossing structures: koalas and canopy rope-bridges},
	volume = {39},
	issn = {0310-0049},
	shorttitle = {Targeted field testing of wildlife road-crossing structures},
	url = {http://www.publish.csiro.au/?paper=AM16014},
	doi = {10.1071/AM16014},
	abstract = {The suitability of structures installed to enable safe passage of wildlife across a road is most frequently determined by monitoring of structures after new roads are built. Rarely are new structures field tested before installation. We installed canopy rope-bridges in an area frequented by koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) with the explicit aim of determining whether koalas might use such structures. Rope-bridges were of four different designs to maximise the likelihood that one might be used, as a precursor to further replication. Infrared cameras were installed on the rope-bridges as well as on two nearby reference trees to compare frequency of use. Over a monitoring period of 2.9 years no koalas were detected on the rope-bridges whereas koalas were recorded on the reference trees on 34 and 41 different 24-h periods. Rope-bridges may not be suited to an arboreal mammal that is inclined to travel along the ground to move between trees.},
	language = {en},
	number = {1},
	urldate = {2020-06-01},
	journal = {Australian Mammalogy},
	author = {Goldingay, Ross L. and Taylor, Brendan D.},
	year = {2017},
	pages = {100},
}

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