Defenders Launches "Habitat & Highways" Campaign

(06/29/2001) - WASHINGTON – Nearly 4 million miles of roadways and 200 million vehicles keep Americans moving, but stop many wildlife species dead in their tracks, according to Defenders of Wildlife which today unveiled its "Habitats and Highways" campaign and Web site to make roads and auto transportation less dangerous and disruptive to wildlife. The campaign will raise public awareness of these issues and work with state and local authorities to incorporate conservation into transportation planning.

"Roadkill can really hurt our nation’s efforts to restore threatened and endangered species. For example, vehicles have killed six endangered Florida panthers in just the past three months; with only 50 of these magnificent animals remaining, that just can’t go on," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. "The Habitat and Highways campaign will work with transportation planners, biologists, and everyday drivers to make our roadways safer for wildlife."

Research indicates that roadkill is the biggest direct source of human-caused wildlife mortality throughout the United States. For species facing extinction, roadkill can have a very significant effect on prospects for recovery. In addition to the Florida panther, species like the ocelot (less than 200 individuals in south Texas), Florida black bear (approx. 2,000 individuals, with an average of 80 lost to roadkill each year), and the grizzly bear face uphill battles for recovery due to high roadkill mortality.

Defenders’ Habitat and Highways campaign has two primary objectives. First, the campaign will work to reduce the impact of roads and driving on wildlife and habitat by modifying existing roads to accommodate wildlife passage and habitat. Second, it will help state and local officials incorporate wildlife conservation into transportation planning, so that future road development avoids ecologically significant areas and wildlife movement corridors.

Central to Defenders’ campaign will be a new Habitat and Highways Web site which is the Web’s most comprehensive resource on wildlife and transportation.

Visitors to the site can learn more about species most affected by roads and what they can do to help. By clicking on "State Info," they can find out what is happening in their home states. The site offers a library for books, full-length articles, bibliographies and more wildlife and transportation links.

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Defenders of Wildlife is a leading nonprofit conservation organization recognized as one of the nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat. With more than 430,000 members and supporters, Defenders of Wildlife is an effective leader on environmental issues.

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Contact(s):

Cat Lazaroff, (202) 772-3270