CHARACTERIZATION OF ROAD-KILLED VERTEBRATE FAUNA REPORTED ON INATURALISTCHILE

Abstract

This research is a continuation of the school science work associated with wildlife roadkill in Chile, where the reactions of social network users to photographs of wildlife roadkill have been documented, along with the development of road signage design. In this opportunity, the citizen reports of native animal roadkill, hosted until June 2024 in the collaborative science platform iNaturalist, are characterized. The results of this exploratory study showed more than 1400 cases of roadkill deaths, with birds being the most affected, followed by mammals, reptiles and amphibians. In particular, among the top 3 species that were run over, we found Philodryas chamissonis (Long-tailed snake), with 100 observations, followed by Mimus thenca (Chilean tench), with 66 reports, and Lycalopex culpaeus (Culpeo fox), with 62 records. Regarding the distribution of reports of roadkill in Chile, the records show a great asymmetry, concentrated in the large highways of the central and northern central zone of the country, with significant gaps of information in areas such as the far north and extreme south of the country. These results coincide with studies conducted by the National Forestry Corporation and call for the urgent generation of public policies to address the problem at the national level, considering the recent announcements on the incorporation of wildlife crossings in new roads and the incipient development of educational campaigns by the State and NGOs.