Road Ecology Center

In 2000, an expert-based decision-support model to identify and prioritize sites for ecopassages was developed for the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT). The model used a weighting algorithm and several ecological factors (chronic road-kill sites, landscape gradients, focal species hot spots, greenway linkages, presence of listed species, strategic habitat-conservation areas, riparian corridors, rare habitat types, existing conservation lands, and proposed road projects) to prioritize existing road segments for retrofits designed to reduce road-kills and restore important habitat linkages. In 2003, the Florida DOT began implementing the Efficient Transportation Decision Making (ETDM) process. This process was designed to examine and address potential environmental impacts prior to the planning, design, and construction of new transportation projects. Proposed projects are analyzed using an environmental-screening tool and reviewed by local and state officials and the public. In 2004-2005, we were engaged by the Florida DOT to update the prioritization-model results for use as a data layer in the environmental-screening process of ETDM. For this purpose the original calculating algorithm was used, with final priorities ranked on a scale of 0 to 1. Many updated coverages were available and cell resolution was improved to increase model precision and accuracy. Updated coverages included roads (including speed limit and annual average daily traffic factors), land cover, road-kills, road projects, and managed conservation lands. In addition, a new development-threat index based on road density, population density, 2003 existing land use, future land use and municipal boundaries was created. Datasets were combined into six categories for ranking: biological features, landscape features, infrastructure, managed conservation lands, conservation planning, and road-kill. For those road segments prioritized statewide, 72 percent were located in existing protected areas and 27 percent were found in proposed public-conservation lands. Relative weighting and aggregation of data were key determinants to locations of high priority road segments. One hundred seventy-six proposed road projects coincide with prioritized road segments and present significant opportunities for conservation planning.