Abstract
This study reviewed recent studies of road-kill, barrier effect and mitigation techniques on wild animals. It also surveyed road-crossing structures used in Japan. By comparing Japanese and international case studies, we addressed the possibility of studies on road-kill, barrier effect and mitigation technique development in Japan. The road-studies in Japan were mostly studies of the road-kill of Sika deer, Cervus nippon yesoensis, and Raccoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides. There were fewer Japanese studies on roadkill and barrier effect examining species, taxa, and landscapes than international studies. Most of the road-crossing structures were underpasses, box-culverts, and pipe-culverts targeting large and mid-sized mammals. There were fewer eco-bridges targeting arboreal mammals and amphibian tunnels targeting herptiles in Japan. In the future, it will be necessary to analyze the factors influencing road-kill and barrier effect of various species and taxa in order to develop mitigation techniques targeting arboreal mammals and herptiles, and to develop quantitative methods for monitoring wild mammals utilizing road-crossing structures as movement corridors.
