Terrestrial transport infrastructures, Lynx population viability and mitigation strategies

Our project `Avoid, reduce and compensate mortality risks of the Eurasian Lynx by collision with transport vehicles` aims to build on previous works on lynx population viability, collision risks while crossing terrestrial transport infrastructures and mitigation strategies. Our team will develop an operational tool upon which the technical operators will be able to rely on in the decision-making process for land-use planning. More details [here](https://sites.google.com/view/erclynx/) (in French).

This applied research project gathers a group of various actors (public and private; researchers, wildlife managers and carnivore experts; infrastructure managers and road/transport planning experts) with the following objectives:

• Maintaining functional connectivity between favorable lynx habitats and elaborating strategies for avoiding, reducing and compensating collision risks.

• Building a tool to reinforce and facilitation the implementation of land-use planning public policies.

To achieve these objectives, we will rely on:

• Data on collisions (roads, railways) and external structural factors (ITT presence and their characteristics);

• A predictive statistical model to identify the zones with high probability of collision risks;

• A spatially-explicit individual-based population viability model (SEPVA) to predict extinction risks;

• A user-friendly computer program implemented in R. We will follow a companion modeling approach to ensure the smooth adoption and use of this program by the actors.

This project will fill a gap between the academic research, the stakes of land planning, the lynx conservation and the needs of ITT managers/operators. We will contribute to the implementation of national public policies (TVB, SRCE/SRADDET, “Avoid, Reduce, Compensate” doctrine) by testing our approach on pilot sites in the Vosges and Jura areas. This project will benefit from the sharing of experiences and skills from our colleagues in Switzerland and Germany.