Wildlife movement solutions

Wildlife Movement Solutions (WMS) are wildlife-friendly crossing infrastructure installed where roads intersect ecological corridors to facilitate the safe movement of wildlife.

Examples of this infrastructure include:

fauna exclusion fencing
culvert underpasses
land-bridge overpasses
koala refuge and glider poles
rope bridges.

Wildlife signs and road pavement markings are also a form of WMS, which may inform the driver to slow down and adhere to the speed limit or be especially vigilant driving through areas known to be wildlife crossing points.

As part of Council's commitment to consistently improve WMS across the city, several trials have been conducted, or are underway, to facilitate the use of new types of WMS infrastructure.

Variable message signs

Variable message signs (VMS) are electronic road signs that show temporary messages to motorists. After a successful trial conducted in 2018, VMS for koala awareness are now being rolled out annually during the peak of the koala breeding season, from August through October each year.

VMS signs are located in priority areas across the city where the risk of koala-vehicle strikes is highest. Sites are reviewed annually based on up-to-date data and rotated in three-week intervals. This maximises the effectiveness of encouraging drivers to be extra vigilant for koalas during this time.

Kangaroo jump-outs and koala climb-outs

Jump-outs and climb-outs provide escape routes for fauna trapped on roads (e.g. if they become trapped on the wrong side of a fence).

A kangaroo jump-out was installed on Bracken Ridge Road to prevent kangaroos accidentally becoming trapped on the wrong side of a fauna exclusion fence.

Five koala climb-outs are also installed on Boundary Road to prevent koalas (or other wildlife) becoming trapped due to the steep road embankments.

WMS wildlife zones

To ensure wildlife can move safely through and between habitat areas, and to ensure Council can deliver cost-effective solutions at the most critical locations across the city, a zones approach is being taken to guide investment into new WMS.

To this end, Council has identified areas across the city for focused on-ground action. These hotspot zones have been determined using contemporary information that considers:

important road crossing points for wildlife, particularly near or adjacent to bushland and creeks (high occurrence of wildlife/vehicle strike)
roads that may be forming impermeable barriers for wildlife movement through ecological corridors (wildlife population isolation)
interface of high traffic volume and/or vehicle speed and areas of high biodiversity value (threat to local wildlife populations and road safety concerns)
prioritising at-risk or vulnerable species like the koala and kangaroo.

Belmont Hills to Whites Hill connection zone

The Belmont Hills and Whites Hill Reserves are known for their high koala and macropod activity. This zone includes road immediately surrounding the reserves, as well as roads that traverse notable movement corridors (e.g. creek lines) located between the two reserves.

In 2019, the following works were undertaken in this zone:

road pavement treatments and new signage
retrofitting of a culvert on Pine Mountain Road to include a fauna 'shelf' to encourage wildlife, such as koalas, to use the culvert to cross under the road safely
revegetation and weeding work to create additional wildlife habitat and to help guide wildlife to the culvert entrance.

Five koala/glider poles have been constructed in Lambertia Close Park.

In response to community concerns and queries regarding koala movements, supplementary actions are also being developed for the area immediately west of this zone (including Boundary Road and beyond). These actions include:

planting of koala habitat street trees and park habitat plantings to facilitate the movement of koalas through the urban environment
additional road markings, as well as static and LED signage (including VMS)
five koala climb-outs.

Boundary Road, Camp Hill koala crossing

In addition to the koala climb-outs installed along Boundary Road in Camp Hill, wildlife zone road markings and signage has been installed near Whites Hill Reserve.

Council has also installed an overhead log bridge and fauna fencing to create a safe crossing point for koalas.

The design for the log bridge was informed by koala experts currently working with Council as part of our Koala Research Partnerships Program and is the first of its kind in Australia.

This project is part of Council's commitment to conserving biodiversity and reconnecting ecological corridors to allow the safe movement of local fauna through and between habitat areas.

Works works were completed in mid-June 2022. This project is fully funded by the Australian Government through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program.

In June 2024 Council completed the installation of additional fencing and fauna escape poles along Boundary Road, Camp Hill/Coorparoo to improve safety for wildlife moving in and out of Whites Hill Reserve. New spring-loaded gates on the two cycle track entrances have also been installed to manage wildlife movement in these locations.

See the photo gallery of the completed fauna crossing.

Bracken Ridge Road zone

Bracken Ridge Road, travelling between Deagon Wetlands and Sandgate Third Lagoon in Brisbane's north, has become a hotspot for eastern grey kangaroo vehicle strikes.

Eastern grey kangaroos are crepuscular, which means they are active at dawn and dusk. Low light conditions and optimal grazing near the roadside is the reason these animals are often seen feeding early morning and late afternoon.

Measures have been taken to alert drivers to slow down and take care in this area, including:

road pavement markings identifying this stretch of road as a Wildlife Zone
a drop in speed limit
LED speed activated signage
static signage
fauna exclusion fencing
a kangaroo jump-out.

Chermside Hills zone

The Chermside Hills zone is also known for its high koala and macropod activity. This zone covers roads surrounding the Chermside Hills Reserve, Milne Hill Reserve, Hamilton Road Quarry Park, Raven Street Park and Grey Gum Park.

Actions currently being delivered across this zone include:

road markings, static and LED signage, VMS
fauna exclusion fencing
weed treatment and bank work on Beckett Road to improve under bridge accessibility for wildlife
four koala escape poles on Beckett Road
various 'care for our wildlife' static signs in suburban streets to increase local residents' awareness of wildlife activity in their neighbourhood.

Additional actions are also scheduled for this location later this year.

Compton Road: Brisbane's most significant WMS site

Compton Road traverses one of the largest patches of remnant bushland in Brisbane. In 2004 it was upgraded from two lanes to four.

To mitigate some of the impacts to local fauna, a variety of wildlife-friendly crossing infrastructure was incorporated into the road upgrade design.

The most notable WMS employed along Compton Road is the land-bridge linking Karawatha Forest on the southern side of Compton Road to an area north of Compton Road known as Kuraby Bushlands.

Other WMS infrastructure installed at this site includes:

eight glider poles
three rope ladders
fauna-friendly culverts
exclusion fencing
escape poles.

The success of this project is highlighted by research undertaken by Griffith University, the Queensland Museum and the Southern Cross University as part of Council's Biodiversity Research Partnership Program. This research has demonstrated that a variety of fauna is using the land-bridge and other structures to move between the two areas of bushland.

Positive results obtained from ongoing monitoring of the Compton Road land-bridge have shown that investing in WMS as part of infrastructure projects is an invaluable and worthwhile exercise and shows Council is well on its way to achieving its aim to protect biodiversity by reconnecting ecological corridors.

Mount Gravatt-Capalaba Road zone

This zone primarily includes Mount Gravatt-Capalaba Road, as well as Tilley Road, which dissect koala habitat found within Burbank, Chandler and Belmont.

The combination of high koala activity, high vehicle speed and high traffic volume have resulted in a serious threat to the local koala population in this area. In response, Council has installed road pavement markings, along with LED speed-variation wildlife warning signs and static wildlife signs to key areas across the zone to alert drivers to slow down and be vigilant, particularly at dawn and dusk when koalas are most active.

The effectiveness of the infrastructure will be monitored which will provide valuable information as to whether additional actions are required.

Wacol Station Road zone

The aim of works implemented at Wacol Station Road and the surrounding streets was to reduce the high occurrence of vehicle strikes with eastern grey kangaroos.

So far monitoring is showing a significant decrease in the number of kangaroos being hit where the treatment has occurred. The Wolston Bridge was raised to allow kangaroos and wallabies to safely move under the road. Exclusion fencing and new signage (including LED speed activated signage) were also installed. The new signage alerts drivers to be vigilant and to watch their speed.

The Wacol Station Road WMS project has been supported by the local environment group, who have been working with Council to monitor wildlife vehicle-strikes before, during and after the installation of the WMS strategies.

Other WMS locations

Other key locations across the city where Council has installed WMS include:

Blunder Rd - glider poles
Gap Creek Road - wildlife underpasses
Hamilton Road - land bridge, glider poles and rope ladders
Paradise Road - glider poles and rope ladder
Scrub Road - glider poles and rope ladder
Telegraph Road - glider poles and rope ladder
Trinity Way - glider poles
Wolston Road - wildlife underpasses and exclusion fencing.

Future zones

Council will continue to monitor and deliver WMS in identified wildlife zones and at other key locations across the city. New zones may also be identified and prioritised as more data becomes available.

How can you help

You can help too by being vigilant of wildlife on roads and slowing down in the signed areas.

If you see a sick, injured or orphaned animal, or wildlife in imminent threat (on the road or on a median strip), phone the RSPCA Native Animal Ambulance on 1300 ANIMAL.

Report deceased animals on Brisbane local roads to Council’s Contact Centre on 07 3403 8888.

Wildlife movement solutions aren’t just about helping wildlife move across roads. Wildlife also needs to be able to move through other areas of the city, including backyards. Residents can help keep native animals safe by: