Phew! Roadkill hotspots are not related to protected areas

Roadkill poses a critical threat to wildlife and can cause the extinction of local populations. In this context, analyzing roadkill patterns could provide valuable insight into the severity of the threat, particularly in protected areas. We collected roadkill data for 16 months around the Chapada Diamantina National Park (PNCD) in Bahia, Brazil, to study the spatiotemporal distribution of roadkill across different tourist and climatic seasons. Moreover, the influence of landscape and highway characteristics on roadkill hotspots was analyzed, as well as their association with the protected area. In all, 580 roadkill consisting of 182 amphibians (31.4%), 185 reptiles (32.0%), 143 birds (24.6%), and 70 mammals (12.0%) were recorded. Of the sample, five species of amphibians, 20 species of reptiles, 36 species of birds, and 14 species of mammals were identified. The abundance and richness of roadkill were not statistically different between seasons. However, only herpetofauna richness and abundance for the amphibians (richness: p = 0.0053; W = 826, abundance: p = 0.000956; W = 754) and reptiles (richness: p = 0.0000259; W = 595, abundance: p = 0.00000165; W = 512) were statistically different and greater in the rainy season. The aggregation and number of roadkill hotspots change for each taxonomic group, which reveals that different variables are influencing this process. Most roadkill hotspots were outside the PNCD, and less than 30% of all roadkill hotspots were inside the PNCD. We emphasize the importance of analyzing the taxonomic groups separately to obtain better estimates and results and better understand the influence of roadkill on protected areas.