Road mortality is the greatest cause of known cassowary deaths at Mission Beach. Between 1992 and June 2010, at least 60 cassowaries died on local roads. At the request of Terrain NRM, James Cook University (JCU) undertook significant research into traffic impacts on cassowaries (and other fauna) on Mission Beach roads.
- Download the Final Report on Mission Beach Road Research: Traffic Impacts on Cassowaries and Other Fauna and Strategies for Mitigation from Terrain NRM’s website (Warning: PDF file over 18MB!)
The report is divided into seven sections, addressing different aspects of the risk and management implications:
- Review of ecological impacts of roads
- Road impacts on cassowaries:
- identified road crossings
- cassowary use of individual crossing zones
- cassowary behaviour when crossing roads
- latest cassowary roadkill data: DERM and Tully Veterinary Surgery
- Analysis of traffic volume and speed on the two entry roads and relationship with traffic calming trialled on those roads
- Roadkill data of other species along Tully-MB and El Arish-MB Roads. Use of potential culvert underpasses and Hull River bridge for crossing by vertebrate animals
- Review of mitigation measures trialled around the world
- Risk analysis for individual crossing areas with possible mitigation options
- Synthesis – towards an integrated strategy
- SLOW DOWN in cassowary habitat
- Encourage others to do the same
- Report dangerous driving
- Add a cassowary “Take Care” bumper sticker (available from WTMA and many visitor centres, like C4) to your car
Acknowledgement
This valuable research by Miriam Goosem, Leslie Moore, Peter Byrnes and Marina Gibson, was funded by Terrain NRM, Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR), the Marine & Tropical Sciences Research Facility (MTSRF) and the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) at James Cook University.