Traffic accidents where wild animals are involved represents between 60 and 80 percent of all reported accidents, depending on location in Sweden. In a country like Sweden, with a lot of forest, there is always risk of a collision with a wild animal. Imagine if you, as a road user, had the possibility to receive warnings when the risk of an accident according to statistics is extra high. Wildlife Detection Network is a wildlife warning system with an information service, which makes the whole concept unique. When an animal is approaching the road, it is registered by sensors, and warning lights along the road are lit to inform drivers of the potential danger. In conclusion, this is a direct warning to all drivers on the road where the system is placed. When an animal is registered by the sensors, information containing time, date, weather circumstances and coordinates are sent to a database. The database stores information about the animal activity in the area, and will read out activity patterns for the animals. For example, the risk for a collision might be higher between 6.00 and 8.00 AM when the temperature is about ten degrees. When you approach the measured area in your car, you will receive a warning in you smartphone or GPS-unit. The warning tells you that the risk of encountering a wild animal along the road is high during the current circumstances. The associated service works as a complement for those that further wants to reduce the risk of a wildlife accident. We are well aware of that wildlife accidents are a very complex and in particular intractable problem. The two of us behind Wildlife Detection Network are proud of our concept and we are hopeful that our system will contribute to a decrease in wildlife accidents in the future.

En ökad infrastruktur är idag en av de största anledningarna till fragmentering av habitatvilket gör det svårare för vilt att röra sig över vägar utan risker. För att undersöka i vilkenutsträckning större vilt korsar vägar identifierades gröna stråk i Halmstad tätort därviltförekomst sedan undersöktes vintern 2015/2016. Tio lokaler valdes ut längs väg 600(Tylösandvägen), väg 610 (Kustvägen), riksväg 15, riksväg 25 och riksväg 26 där inventeringarutfördes i sju dagar fördelade under en tvåmånadersperiod. Viltförekomst av älg, rådjur,dovvilt, kronvilt, hare, vildsvin, grävling, rödräv, varg och lodjur undersöktes genomidentifiering av spårstämplar för att ta reda på om någon av lokalerna utgör en riskzon förviltolyckor och om det finns skillnader i viltförekomst nära och längre från vägen samt iskogsmark och öppen mark. Studiens resultat tillsammans med viltolycksstatistik visar attvissa av de undersökta stråken utgör riskzoner för större vilt; två närliggande lokaler ianslutning till riksväg 26 och en lokal i anslutning till riksväg 15. Det fanns ingen signifikantskillnad i viltförekomst på olika avstånd från vägen, vilket innebär att vilt följer de grönastråken och inte ser vägen som ett hinder. Det fanns heller ingen signifikant skillnad mellanviltförekomst i någon av marktyperna. / An increased infrastructure is one of today’s biggest reasons for the fragmentation ofhabitats, making it harder for wildlife to move without risks when crossing roads. To see inwhich extent larger mammals crosses roads greenways were identified in the urban parts ofHalmstad municipality, after which a study was made on the presence of wildlife duringwinter 2015/2016. Ten areas were chosen along road 600 (Tylösandsvägen), road 610(Kustvägen), trunk road 15, trunk road 25 and trunk road 26 where inventories were carriedout for a period of seven days distributed over a period of two months. Wildlife abundanceof moose, roe deer, fallow deer, red deer, hare, wild boar, badger, red fox, wolf and lynxwere investigated by identification of track stamps in order to find out if any of the tenplaces constitutes a danger zone for wildlife-vehicle accidents and if there are anydifferences in wildlife abundance close to and further from the road as well as in woodlandand open land. The result of the study along with wildlife accident statistics show that someof the investigated areas form danger zones for larger animals; two adjacent areas alongtrunk road 26 and one area along trunk road 15. There were no significant difference inwildlife abundance on different distances from the road which means that wildlife followsthe greenways and do not see the road as an obstacle, thus more likely to crossover. Therewere also no significant difference in wildlife abundance in woodland and open land,meaning wildlife-vehicle accidents are not more likely to occur in one type of land over theother.

<p>A fauna passage is a way for animals to cross roads separated from the traffic. In Sweden, there are an unknown number of passages with different functions and appearances. These passages would, with the question “Which fauna passages can be found in Sweden, and how well do they work?” as a base, be compiled in a comparable way. This would be done with a number of questions asked to the different regions of Vägverket. The essay was delimited to only include ecoducts, animal bridges, landscape bridges, animal gates, tunnels for small animals, shore passages and fence openings.</p><p>Most of Vägverkets regions had poor documentation of their passages and lacked the time to improve it. Most questions could only be answered for the region in general, and not for every passage, which forced us to change our way of account. In the end, most of the questions were answered by every region, even though it had not seemed possible earlier. Almost all regions also accounted for all their pas-sages in tables and with selected pictures to illustrate the passages.</p><p>The compiled result showed that there were no ecoducts in the country and the passages directed to otter was clearly dominating. There were only a few passages constructed for larger animals, such as deer and elk, but those existing were better documented and followed up, than the smaller passages. It is likely that a lot of animals use regular road bridges and tunnels, but there is no documentation of this.</p><p>The smaller passages are often planned in a simplified way, sometimes only through discussion in field. This often gave a fully sufficient and functional result, but there are examples of passages which did not function alright due to simplify-ing and inadequate planning.</p><p>The passages varied in shape in the different regions, which all seemed to prefer certain kinds. It was not clear from the basic data if this depended on climate dif-ferences between the regions, or if it simply was a question of taste.</p>

A fauna passage is a way for animals to cross roads separated from the traffic. In Sweden, there are an unknown number of passages with different functions and appearances. These passages would, with the question “Which fauna passages can be found in Sweden, and how well do they work?” as a base, be compiled in a comparable way. This would be done with a number of questions asked to the different regions of Vägverket. The essay was delimited to only include ecoducts, animal bridges, landscape bridges, animal gates, tunnels for small animals, shore passages and fence openings. Most of Vägverkets regions had poor documentation of their passages and lacked the time to improve it. Most questions could only be answered for the region in general, and not for every passage, which forced us to change our way of account. In the end, most of the questions were answered by every region, even though it had not seemed possible earlier. Almost all regions also accounted for all their pas-sages in tables and with selected pictures to illustrate the passages. The compiled result showed that there were no ecoducts in the country and the passages directed to otter was clearly dominating. There were only a few passages constructed for larger animals, such as deer and elk, but those existing were better documented and followed up, than the smaller passages. It is likely that a lot of animals use regular road bridges and tunnels, but there is no documentation of this. The smaller passages are often planned in a simplified way, sometimes only through discussion in field. This often gave a fully sufficient and functional result, but there are examples of passages which did not function alright due to simplify-ing and inadequate planning. The passages varied in shape in the different regions, which all seemed to prefer certain kinds. It was not clear from the basic data if this depended on climate dif-ferences between the regions, or if it simply was a question of taste.

Humans can influence the habitats that animals use by, for example, building railways that form barriers in the landscape, which disturb the animals and reduce their habitats. During the last ten years, wildlife accidents on railways have increased dramatically, and the measures to reduce accidents, such as building fences and wildlife passages, are very expensive. Acoustic stimuli can be used to scare roe deer away from different locations. Both experience and natural selection have affected animals and their behavior when they are exposed to threats from predators. The magnitude of the perceived threat and the degree of fear motivates which behavioral response is used. Some responses to threatening situations are flight, increased vigilance, and reduced foraging behavior. The purpose of this report is to investigate which acoustic stimuli cause the roe deer to leave the location and how much time they spend eating and being vigilant. By filming the roe deer when they were exposed to six different acoustic stimuli, human voice, dog barking, warning call from roe deer, pink noise, bird sounds and silent control, at feeding stations at Grimsö Research Station, I tested the influence of different stimuli on the behavior of roe deer. The results showed the roe deer spent the most time eating during a silent control period, when undisturbed. The pink noise and the human voice can possibly be used to ward off roe deer from the railroad tracks before the train arrives. The sound of dog barking and warning calls from another roe deer make the roe deer alert but the deer most often remain on the spot. Further investigations of acoustic stimuli are required to know the effectiveness of different stimuli to best avoid wildlife accidents in train traffic. / Människan kan förändra djurens habitat genom att bygga järnvägar som utgör barriärer i landskapet vilket stör djuren och minskar deras livsmiljöer. Under de senaste tio åren har viltolyckor på järnvägen ökat markant. Genom att bygga viltstängsel samt faunapassager kan man minska viltolyckorna och djuren kan röra sig naturligt i landskapen, ett problem är dock att djur kan bli påkörda vid farliga passager och att dessa åtgärder är väldigt dyra. Olika typer av akustiska signaler kan användas för att skrämma bort rådjur från olika platser. Både erfarenheter och naturligt urval har gjort att bytesdjur anpassat sitt beteende när de blir utsatta för hot av predatorer. Hur stort hotet upplevs och graden av rädsla motiverar vilken beteenderespons som används. Några responser på hotfulla situationer är flykt, ökad vaksamhet och minskat födosöksbeteende.  Syftet med denna rapport är att undersöka vilka akustiska stimuli som får rådjuren att lämna platsen samt hur mycket tid de spenderar med att äta och vara vaksamma. Rådjuren filmades när de utsattes för sex olika akustiska stimuli, människoröst, hundskall, brusljud, varningsrop från rådjur, fågelljud och tyst kontroll, vid foderstationer vid Grimsö Forskningsstation. Resultatet visade att olika akustiska stimuli inducerar olika beteenderesponser hos rådjur. De spenderade mest tid med att äta under tyst kontroll när de var ostörda. Brusljudet och människorösten kan eventuellt används för att få rådjuren att lämna tågspåret innan tåget kommer. Hundskall och varningsrop från rådjur gör att rådjuren blir vaksamma men stannar kvar på platsen. Vidare undersökningar av akustiska stimuli krävs för att veta hur man på bästa sätt kan undvika viltolyckor i tågtrafiken.

Siktröjning är en viltolycksförebyggande åtgärd som används för att skapa bättre siktförhållanden för trafikanter och djur genom att gallra träd och röja sly längs vägkanten. Förutom ökad sikt medför även åtgärden att vägen torkar upp snabbare eftersom att solstrålarna når vägen bättre när skymmande träd avlägsnas. En siktröjning kan utformas som en total avverkning eller en utglesning av skogen i vägkanten och bedöms minska risken för viltolyckor med ca 23%. Riksväg 25 går mellan Kalmar och Halmstad och mellan orterna Eriksmåla och Lessebo i Kalmar och Kronobergs län har väg 25 en standard som inte betraktas vara god i förhållande till trafikeringen som råder på vägen. I framtiden förväntas därför vägsträckan breddas och byggas om till en mötesseparerad väg. Eftersom detta beräknas ske längre fram i tiden spekuleras det kring om en tillfällig säkerhetshöjande åtgärd kan genomföras fram till ombyggnationen. Syftet med denna studie var att utreda om och hur en siktröjning hade kunnat genomföras på den här sträckan samtidigt som det skulle göras en avvägning mellan andra viltolycksförebyggande alternativ som främst inriktades på viltstängsel.I undersökningen skulle det utredas vilka förutsättningar som råder och hänsyn till ekonomiska och tidsmässiga perspektiv skulle tas. En relevant aspekt var hur markåtkomst kunde erhållas för att gallra träd och röja sly längs vägen. I studien användes juridisk metod, analys av litteratur samt semi-strukturerade intervjuer där ett flertal sakkunniga som besitter god kunskap beträffande viltolycksförebyggande åtgärder och förutsättningarna som råder på vägsträckan deltog. Utöver det intervjuades även sakkunniga inom markåtkomst, viltfrågor, fastighetsvärdering och skogliga åtgärder. Resultatet visar att markåtkomst för siktröjning kan erhållas med både nyttjanderätt enligt jordabalken och vägrätt enligt väglagen, men att markåtkomst mest sannolikt behöver ske genom frivilliga överenskommelser. Siktröjning kan utformas som en successiv utglesning och stamkvistning av skogen längs vägen där en total avverkning sker cirka tio meter ifrån vägkanten och en gallring sker ytterligare tio meter in. Denna utformning skapar ett mindre omfattande underhåll och mildrar konsekvenserna av singelolyckor. Det går inte med säkerhet går att fastställa vilken viltolycksförebyggande åtgärd som är mest fördelaktig på den här vägsträckan utan för det krävs mer omfattande utredningar. / Removal of trees along the road is a measure used to reduce the risk of wildlife accidents. It is used to create better view for motorists and animals by reducing the amount of trees and bushes along the roadside. Except better view the mesure will also entail faster drying of the road since removal of obscuring trees and vegetation will let the sunbeams reach the road to a greater extent. The measure can be formed as a total removal of trees or a thinning of the forest and may reduce the risk of wildlife accidents by 23 %. Highway 25 runs between the cities Kalmar and Halmstad and between the villages Eriksmåla and Lessebo, where the road section is regarded as a poor standard relative to the amount of traffic. In the future there is an expected reconstruction of the road by broaden it to a 2+1 road including a median barrier. Since this may accure further into the future there are speculations around a temporary measure that raises security on the road. The purpose of this study was to investigate if and how a removal of trees along the road could be performed on this road section and at the same time there would be a comparison with alternative measures, especially wildlife fencing. The study would investigate which are the conditions on this road section and take economic and time-consuming perspectives into account. One important aspect was to investigate how to obtain land access to be able to remove trees along the road. In the study qualitative methods were used, which included legal method, analysis of literature and semi-structured interviews, where several persons who possesses good knowledge concerning measures that reduces wildlife accidents and the conditions of this road section attended. Beyond this experts in land access, wildlife issues, property valuation and forest issues were interviewed. The results show that land access can be obtained in two different types of access rights in the Swedish legislation and that the most realistic is that it should happen in voluntary agreements with land-owners. Removal of trees can be performed as a successive thinning and branch pruning of the forest along the road where a total removal of trees is performed ten meters from the roadside and an additional area of ten meters is thinned out. This configuration can be maintained less often and makes the consequences of single vehicle accidents less severe by broadening the safety zone. It can not be determined which measure to reduce wildlife accidents that is most suitable on this road section and further investigations must be performed for this purpose.