Carter Neil, Killion Alexander, Easter Tara, Brandt Jodi, Ford Adam
School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Human-Environment Systems, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83712, USA.
Sci Adv. 2020 Apr 29;6(18):eaaz9619. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz9619. eCollection 2020 May.
Roads are proliferating worldwide at an unprecedented rate, with potentially severe impacts on wildlife. We calculated the extent and potential impacts of road networks across the 1,160,000-km, 13-country range of the globally endangered tiger ()-a conservation umbrella species. We found that roads were pervasive, totaling 134,000 km across tiger conservation landscapes (TCLs), even in tiger priority sites and protected areas. Approximately 43% of the area where tiger breeding occurs and 57% of the area in TCLs fell within the road-effect zone. Consequently, current road networks may be decreasing tiger and prey abundances by more than 20%. Nearly 24,000 km of new roads will be built in TCLs by 2050, stimulated through major investment projects such as China's Belt and Road Initiative. Given that roads will be a pervasive challenge to tiger recovery in the future, we urge decision-makers to make sustainable road development a top priority.
全球范围内道路正以前所未有的速度激增，这对野生动物可能产生严重影响。我们计算了在全球濒危老虎（一种保护伞护物种）分布的13个国家、面积达116万平方公里的区域内道路网络的范围及其潜在影响。我们发现道路无处不在，在老虎保护景观（TCLs）区域内道路总长13.4万公里，即使在老虎重点区域和保护区也是如此。老虎繁殖区域约43%的面积以及TCLs区域57%的面积都处于道路影响区。因此，当前的道路网络可能使老虎和猎物数量减少超过20%。到2050年，受中国“一带一路”倡议等重大投资项目推动，TCLs区域将新建近2.4万公里的道路。鉴于道路未来将成为老虎种群恢复面临的普遍挑战，我们敦促决策者将可持续道路发展作为首要任务。
