Abstract
My current research examines macropod-vehicle collisions in central peri-urban and rural Victoria. Hundreds of Eastern Grey Kangaroos, in particular, are killed or severely injured each year due to car disturbances. These incidents also present other negative aspects such as human injuries, property damage, psychological trauma, and animal rehabilitation costs.
Currently, I am undertaking this research in Australia at the University of Melbourne. Many factors make Australia a premier locale for the study of wildlife conservation issues. First, due to its relative isolation from all of the other continents, Australia has the highest number of endemic species of flora and fauna on the planet. Second, its extremely harsh environments and nutrient poor soils create very high levels of biodiversity and species richness in the flora and fauna systems. Lastly, due to the harsh environments, Australia trails the rest of the world in levels of negative human impacts on natural systems and has a unique opportunity to mitigate and correct these impacts before serious damage occurs.
The research will aim to produce a scientific paper that will demonstrate methodological analysis of the problem and provide statistics to quantify risk. It is my hope that the research will ultimately lead to a comprehensive management plan to begin remediation operations. The solution produced in the thesis will be scalable and serve as a guiding framework for a larger operation, perhaps on a national scale involving governments of other states.
