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- Title
Wildlife‐vehicle collisions in Moroccan Atlantic Sahara: Impact on resident species and Afro‐Palearctic birds for conservation purposes.
- Authors
Mansouri, Ismail; Dakki, Mohamed; Squalli, Wafae; Achiban, Hamid; Mounir, Mohamed; El Ghadraoui, Lahsen
- Abstract
In this study, we described the temporal and spatial patterns of wildlife‐vehicle collisions in Dakhla‐Laayoune regions, using counts from cars for two years (2018–2021). A total of 462 roadkills were documented (monthly average of 0.075 roadkills/km), comprising 16 species, including mammals (residents), reptiles (residents), and birds (residents and migrants). Seasonal abundance and diversity of roadkills revealed a high peak during breeding and migration periods for all species. The generalised linear mixed models indicated that wildlife‐vehicle accidents have a higher probability of occurrence close to breeding and feeding sites and road sections with increased vegetation cover. Similarly, road collisions were higher close to migration routes and during breeding periods. Our study provides the first and only detailed results on wildlife road collisions in Morocco. Data gathered from this study provide valuable information for conservation measures of the most affected Moroccan species and Palearctic migrant birds which are crossing between Europe and Africa. Moreover, our data provide a new window of large‐scale comparative studies addressing the impacts of the infrastructures on biodiversity in the entire Atlantic coasts of Northwest Africa. Detailed studies on the local population dynamics of highly affected species are urgently needed to conclude whether these levels of road mortality are supportable.
- Subjects
SAHARA; BIRD conservation; ROADKILL; SPECIES; POPULATION dynamics; ANIMAL populations
- Publication
African Journal of Ecology, 2022, Vol 60, Issue 3, p492
- ISSN
0141-6707
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/aje.13007