The current attention and traction of fauna-sensitive road design in Australian transport research: a systematic review

The implementation of fauna-sensitive road design has the potential to mitigate negative impacts on wildlife caused by roads. However, our previous international review found adoption of fauna-sensitive road design has been limited at the level of transport planning, even in nations that mandate this. In Australia, where the adoption of fauna-sensitive road design is still in its early stages, a review of 57 peer-reviewed papers revealed that transport practitioners generally have not acknowledged or considered fauna-sensitive road design measures or road ecology concepts. This lack of consideration is due to deeply rooted economic interests and attitudes institutionalised within the industry. While the development of fauna-sensitive road design is possible in the Australian transport sector, a substantial institutional change driven by appropriate policies and user experiences is necessary. We recommend future studies explore practitioner experience to better understand the conditions that facilitated the voluntary adoption of fauna-sensitive road design policies in two Australian states.