A professional network dedicated to the research, design and implementation of environmentally-sensitive linear infrastructure (roads, rail and utility easements) across Australasia.
Roads, railways and utility easements are pervasive components of almost all landscapes around the world. This linear infrastructure can have devastating environmental impacts, including the millions of animals killed by vehicles each year, the isolation of wildlife populations unable to cross linear infrastructure, and the complete disruption of ecosystem function. In addition, thousands of people die and many more are injured after colliding with wildlife.
Road ecology is a relatively new discipline that attempts to better understand the environmental impacts of all linear infrastructure (not just roads) and offer practical solutions. Current attempts to design environmentally-sensitive roads often include building wildlife crossing structures or investing in environmental offsets.
However, information on best-practice or the most effective methods is difficult to locate, as it is often buried in technical reports or lost after a project is completed. For the field to move forward this evidence base needs to be easily accessible, allowing industry, government and researchers to learn which strategies have been tried and tested, which have proven effective and which have failed.
Image: pixabay.com
Image: L Harrison
ANET is made up of a diverse membership from a range of backgrounds.
Image: coffsharbour.nsw.gov.au
The inaugural ANET Conference was held in Coffs Harbour from July 20th – 23rd 2014, hosted by the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Held at the Pacific Bay Resort, the conference included talks, field trips and opportunities to network with industry, government and research professionals from Australasia and across the globe. ›