CyROS: towards a common methodological framework for roadkills recording in Cyprus

Citizens’ science is on the increase in conservation biology and so are observation systems which attempt to provide data on the impact of roads on wildlife particularly as a result of vehicle collisions (roadkills). The island of Cyprus, a global biodiversity hotspot, has seen a fast increase in road length and extent in the last 20 years. However this has not been followed by studies looking at the impacts of roads on biodiversity. The paper presents the Cyprus Roadkill Observation System (CyROS) which aims at providing an evidence base for understanding the contribution of ecological parameters and wildlife behaviour, as well as the effects of the road network, on roadkills in Cyprus. The project has so far engaged four government departments and 95 volunteerscientists under a common goal. Preliminary results demonstrate that snakes are the most affected by roads, followed by hedgehogs while the number of observations is related to the frequency of road use and road type. Future steps including increasing recording effort and visibility of the system, assessing roadkills in protected areas and developing strategies and plans for mitigation measures, are discussed.