Atropelamentos de Marsupiais (didelphimorphia: didelphidae) na BR-174, na terra indígena Waimiri Atroari, Amazônia Central, Brasil

Abstract

The construction of highways is important for the economic, social and political development of a region, but they threaten biodiversity in promoting impacts, such as roadkills. With the fragmentation of the habitats, the arboreal animals are among the most hit vertebrates, among them are the Neotropical marsupials, mainly on highways that cut the Amazon forest. Roadkills are attributed to several factors, and such collisions may occur in a non-random manner. Our objectives were to investigate the effects of rainfall and vehicle flow on marsupial roadkills and to identify sites with roadkills hotspots on a stretch of the road BR-174 in the Waimiri Atroari Indigenous Land, between Amazonas and Roraima. Data collected over six years of monitoring were used. These were used in multiple regression analyzes to see the possible relation of roadkills with local rainfall data and overnight vehicle flows, as well as spatial analysis of roadkills. The individuals collected in the last year were identified. The multiple regression analysis showed that roadkills tended to increase in the period with less rainfall and in the period with more vehicles traveling at night. The locations where the hotspots of roadkills occurred, were identified, and these appeared in different places between the analyzed years. As measures that may mitigate roadkills of arboreal animals in the study area, on both sides of the highway it is necessary the maintenance and plantations of native trees with potential for forming natural walkways with their canopy. In addition, the installation of artificial bridges and speed reducers in specific locations as the natural passages form. However, landscape studies and populations of marsupials and other groups, are needed to better understand the causes and to assist in decision-making and conservation of local biodiversity.