Multiple stressors negatively impact species and ecosystems throughout any given watershed. Understanding these impacts helps resource managers develop and implement plans that protect species, communities, and habitats. For reptiles and amphibians in particular, road mortality can decrease a population’s viability. This is especially true in the lower Hudson River watershed of New York, where human population density and development are high. Road culverts, installed to divert water and reduce flooding, may provide habitat connections that reduce road mortality. We developed integrated demographic and distribution models for sixteen species of amphibians and reptiles, and performed extensive model sensitivity analyses, to prioritize culvert management for the sake of increasing habitat connectivity.
Results/Conclusions
We found that locations where culverts are currently sited could play an important role in increasing habitat connectivity, and thus decreasing the threats to local population persistence. However, not all culverts locations are the same, and many locations may not be considered “ideal habitat connectors” a priori. Thus, our findings could have a substantial effect on management planning. However, our results are highly dependent on the actual utilization of culverts as habitat connectors by these species, which must be further investigated.