Olfactory Repellents in Road Ecology: What We Know and What to Focus on in the Future

Zdeněk Keken (), Lenka Wimmerová, Olga Šolcová, Tomáš Kušta and Petra Dvořáková
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Zdeněk Keken: Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Lenka Wimmerová: Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Olga Šolcová: Department of Catalysis and Reaction Engineering, Institute of Chemical Process Fundamentals of the CAS, Rozvojova 1/135, 165 02 Prague, Czech Republic
Tomáš Kušta: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic
Petra Dvořáková: Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, Suchdol, 165 00 Prague, Czech Republic

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-9

Abstract: Road transport systems kill millions of animals on every inhabited continent each year, and thousands of human lives are lost. Odour repellents (ORE) are a WVC mitigation measure which have been extensively applied across central Europe to prevent or minimise the number of ungulate–vehicle collisions (UVCs). OREs aim to increase the vigilance of ungulates near roads and therefore change their behaviour in areas where vehicle collisions may occur. Despite many scientific papers on the topic of odour repellent effectiveness, a lack of behavioural studies means there is still little understanding of the mechanism of ORE functionality. OREs are applied as an area repellent, so their effectiveness is influenced by multiple factors, and constantly discussed by both academics and the lay public. This paper summarises the state of knowledge about application and effectiveness of odour repellents in road ecology, and suggests research questions to fill information gaps.

Keywords: wildlife–vehicle collision; animal behaviour; risk prevention; transportation infrastructure; chemical deterrents; human–wildlife interaction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
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