Malaysia: Conduct EIA study before starting any development project

The Star 28 Jan 11;

THE increasing number of wildlife killed on our roads is an issue that Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is finding difficult to ignore.

The most recent tragic case was the death of a female jumbo killed by a cement tanker while crossing the road from a jungle along the East-West Highway.

It is about time the Malaysian Highway Authority and the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry take a real hard look at the situation where endangered wildlife, amphibians and reptiles have become victims of motorised vehicles.

Urban areas across the country are also similarly afflicted, with thousands of domestic animals killed.

In wildlife areas, road construction fragments habitat, disrupts migration corridors and exposes sensitive species to a deadly array of hazards. Higher vehicle speeds, heavier traffic, and wider roads definitely make crossings more treacherous.

More often than not, road kills peak where wildlife corridors such as riparian zones or strips of forest intersect with roads. Not only animals but humans are injured in the collisions as well.

Wildlife that are injured and orphaned often suffer long, painful deaths.

For rare or isolated populations, vehicle collisions can cause death not just at the individual level but also for the entire species. Road kills can be considered a major threat to wildlife.

Despite the length of time animals have shared environments with humans, they are still baffled by the noise, lights and motion of vehicles. Animals must cross roads to gather food, find mates or return home from their forays.

Sometimes animals are also attracted to the warm surface of the roads.

Highway planners, land managers, biologists and engineers are oblivious to all these as they continue to lay asphalt corridors across forested habitats, cutting across animal migrating paths.

Placing animal crossing signages along roadways may not work as few people pay attention to such signs. While crossing structures are slowly being incorporated into road plans, yet virtually nothing is known on the true effectiveness between overpasses and underpasses.

Wildlife crossing structures come in many sizes and shapes and their features will ultimately depend on the needs of the myriad of species that inhabit the area of consideration.

Nothing will completely eradicate animal deaths, but the authorities can construct better and safer roads for everyone.

We need to make people aware that roadkill is a serious problem, and driver education courses should encourage drivers to watch for animals in or near roads.

In any road development project that is likely to have an impact on native fauna, an Environmental Impact Assessment study must be carried out and advice sought from the wildlife authorities.

Involving the news media through radio and television announcements and billboards will do well to alert drivers.

With dwindling and damaged habitat, animals are losing ground in humanity’s broader war against wildlife. Even if we do nothing, the rate of roadkill will decline – from lack of wildlife, not from lack of cars or roads.

S.M. MOHD IDRIS,
President,
Sahabat Alam Malaysia.