Introducing RoadEcology.info: Open-access solutions to mainstream sustainable linear infrastructure.

One of the greatest challenges in adopting best practise when planning and designing roads and other linear infrastructure is that there is no single source containing extensive mitigation knowledge and experience. Consequently, many engineers, planners and project managers are unaware of the accumulated knowledge and experience and continue to make the same mistakes or implement outdated mitigation. Furthermore, this lack of access to information hinders the 'mainstreaming' of sustainable and wildlife-friendly infrastructure. To address this, I am proposing an open access book or website with case studies of mitigation from around the world in an accessible style and format. Case studies will:
- Be co-authored by an ecologist and a designer/engineer who were involved in the project.
- Include successes and failures, as both are important!
- Be written for a wide audience.
- Be geographically and taxonomically diverse
- Span the mitigation hierarchy, from avoidance through minimisation, mitigation and offsetting.
- Include a rich diversity of supplementary material, such as videos, photos, project plans, reports.
The case studies will be published at www.roadecology.info, an open access website, so that everyone, everywhere, can access it at anytime, for free!
In this presentation I will explain the proposal and invite contributions of content and funding support. All projects have a story to tell, and others can learn from both your successes and failures. Open access materials are free to access but quality publications cost money to produce. Ideally, publication costs for authors will be minimal if sufficient sponsorship (e.g. from road agencies, development banks, private companies, NGOs or philanthropic sources) can be obtained. If you are interested in being involved as an author, sponsor or user, please contact me.