| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
USEPA Ecosystems Research Division Athens, GA 30605
bird.sandra{at}epa.gov
Ian F. Spellerberg, Science Publishers, Inc., P.O. Box 699, Enfield, NH 03748. 2002. 251 p. $59.50 hardback. ISBN 1-57808-198-X.
Throughout the world, roads have become a permanent part of our environment. The ecological effects of roads and traffic are as consequential as other topical issues such as losses in biological diversity and damage by exotic and invasive species. However, the issue usually receives less attention from environmental managers, ecologists, and the public in general. Roadways influence ecological function through a variety of mechanisms from vehicular mortality of wildlife to hydrologic alterations. The effects of roads are incremental and cascading—roads lead to more roads and other development. This book discusses the biology of roads and roadside verges, effects of roads and traffic, and methods for mitigating the adverse effects of roads on the environment. This book aims to be a practical guide to the general issues and solutions for the ecological impacts of roads.
Chapter 1 contains an interesting but idiosyncratic set of road facts and trivia ranging from lengths and areas of roads in selected countries to a list of road and street expressions coined in the English language. Chapter 2 scopes out the general environmental and ecological effects of roadways. Chapter 3 examines the biota associated with road right-of-ways, roadside verges, median strips, and islands and the potential for managing these areas for conservation purposes.
Chapters 4, 5, and 6 review the different types of effects roads have on biota. Chapter 4 discusses the influence of roads on the spatial structure of habitat including fragmentation, migration barriers, and generation of linear habitats; reviews studies of the impact on different organism classes; and discusses approaches for mitigating the impacts. In Chapter 5, the author reviews the chemical and physical impacts of roads on biota including pollutants, noise, light, particulates, runoff, and erosion. In Chapter 6, the author discusses the extent, impact, and approaches for reducing the number of road kills.
The final two chapters of the book provide an overview on reducing the adverse effects of roads followed by a summary of what future actions are required to reduce the impact of roads. The book contains a series of three appendices. Appendix 1 provides definitions of terms particularly useful for an undergraduate or nontechnical reader. Appendices 2 and III are substantial and useful. Appendix 2 provides a comprehensive framework of the theory and practice for doing environmental and ecological impact assessments for roads. Appendix 3 contains a series of example environmental impact assessments.
This book provides a solid overview of the influence of roads on terrestrial ecosystems. There are extensive references throughout that make this book a good entry point for the reader into the source materials for the subject area. The biggest weakness in this book is the cursory treatment of the effect of roads on aquatic ecosystems. This subject is treated briefly in Chapter 5, but this chapter does not contain a comprehensive review of the literature in this area. This book provides useful background reading for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students in environmental management programs.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
