Rights-of-way: a potential conservation resource

Rights-of-way (ROW) that enable the transport of humans, goods, and energy (eg roads and road verges, railways and embankments, and power lines and the corridors they occupy) cover vast areas and can resemble a species-rich natural habitat. We examine the value of ROW for biodiversity conservation. Similar to grasslands or heathlands, the green spaces associated with ROW often harbor high numbers of species, including rare plants and animals. There is, however, a risk that ROW can act as ecological traps, by attracting organisms that fail to survive and/or reproduce within ROW green spaces. To date, a focus on documenting species occurrence has left major gaps in our understanding of how life in a ROW influences the survival and reproduction of populations, their biotic interactions, and movements within a broader landscape. Estimating these parameters allows for management to better recognize the potential conservation value of these landscape elements.