Projet
Type
Exploratory project
State
In progress
Year of call
2024
[copie] COLHERIC
Spatial Analysis of Potential Hedgehog Collisions in Caen
The direct and indirect effects of linear transport infrastructure (LTI) on biodiversity are well-documented in rural and peri-urban areas, but less so in urban areas. Cities, despite their constraints for wildlife, host a diversity of species thanks to parks, gardens, and even the vegetated edges of LTI. These edges can serve as intra-urban ecological corridors, especially at night when traffic is reduced on roads or halted on rails, but they can also cause mortality through collisions, as observed for the European hedgehog by naturalist observations (Groupe Mammalogique Normand) in the city of Caen. LTIs such as roads, railways, and tramways thus have varied impacts on biodiversity, depending on traffic, their proximity to natural habitats, and the configuration of their local arrangements. Understanding these complex interactions requires modeling and monitoring tools.
The COLHERIC project aims to improve and share knowledge on multi-infrastructure/hedgehog collisions to propose planning recommendations. The proposed methodological approach, based on quantitative spatial analysis of the intersection between LTI networks and the hedgehog's ecological network (which itself includes very fine resolution of land use), will spatialize high-risk collision zones at different times of the day. This predictive mapping will be validated based on empirical observations from the participatory Mam'Route program. The study area is the city of Caen, which is the focus of two participatory programs coordinated by the Groupe Mammalogique Normand: a program to raise awareness among residents to reconnect gardens for small terrestrial wildlife (Piqu’en ville) and a census of road collision data for mammals (Mam’Route). Additionally, the city is set to expand its tramway network by 2028, making it an ideal laboratory to map, predict, and anticipate collision risks associated with future LTIs. The COLHERIC project will also contribute to the creation of a network of stakeholders concerned with wildlife-LTI interactions in urban areas, bringing together nature conservation associations, the "Green Spaces and Biodiversity" and "Mobility" departments of the city of Caen, the Calvados departmental road agency, SNCF Réseau - Normandie, and Keolis Caen, which operates the tramway lines.
This study will be the main focus of Etienne Valognes' M2 research internship at the University of Caen (GAED master's program, Environment, Risks, and Territory Diagnostics track), and will initiate a non-financial partnership agreement between the University of Caen and the urban community of Caen la mer. Public conferences will be organized in association with the city of Caen (Jardin des Plantes "hors les murs"). Additionally, the interactive mapping of collision risk zones will be proposed to territorial managers as a decision-making tool. All scripts and products of these analyses will be publicly shared on the project's Huma-Num GitLab repository.
The COLHERIC project aims to improve and share knowledge on multi-infrastructure/hedgehog collisions to propose planning recommendations. The proposed methodological approach, based on quantitative spatial analysis of the intersection between LTI networks and the hedgehog's ecological network (which itself includes very fine resolution of land use), will spatialize high-risk collision zones at different times of the day. This predictive mapping will be validated based on empirical observations from the participatory Mam'Route program. The study area is the city of Caen, which is the focus of two participatory programs coordinated by the Groupe Mammalogique Normand: a program to raise awareness among residents to reconnect gardens for small terrestrial wildlife (Piqu’en ville) and a census of road collision data for mammals (Mam’Route). Additionally, the city is set to expand its tramway network by 2028, making it an ideal laboratory to map, predict, and anticipate collision risks associated with future LTIs. The COLHERIC project will also contribute to the creation of a network of stakeholders concerned with wildlife-LTI interactions in urban areas, bringing together nature conservation associations, the "Green Spaces and Biodiversity" and "Mobility" departments of the city of Caen, the Calvados departmental road agency, SNCF Réseau - Normandie, and Keolis Caen, which operates the tramway lines.
This study will be the main focus of Etienne Valognes' M2 research internship at the University of Caen (GAED master's program, Environment, Risks, and Territory Diagnostics track), and will initiate a non-financial partnership agreement between the University of Caen and the urban community of Caen la mer. Public conferences will be organized in association with the city of Caen (Jardin des Plantes "hors les murs"). Additionally, the interactive mapping of collision risk zones will be proposed to territorial managers as a decision-making tool. All scripts and products of these analyses will be publicly shared on the project's Huma-Num GitLab repository.