Roadside conservation is a conservation strategy in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and other countries where

Road verge A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

flora and

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are protected or improved. The general aim is to conserve or increase the amount of native flora species; especially where that work will lead to higher conservation value, for example providing food or habitat for rare or endangered native fauna.

Issues

Potential benefits of roadside conservation strategies can include: * Maintenance of the

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

of the roadsides * Sustaining available

corridor Corridor or The Corridor may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Corridor'' (1968 film), a 1968 Swedish drama film * ''The Corridor'' (1995 film), a 1995 Lithuanian drama film * ''The Corridor'' (2010 film), a 2010 Canadia ...

s for fauna movement and habitat * Preserving remnants of native vegetation adjoining man-made environments Problems with the maintaining of roadsides include: * Removal, cutting of

native vegetation In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equ ...

* Conflicts with

road safety Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, horse riders, and passengers of on-road ...

, such as foliage growth which restricts visibility for road users * Work-load due to the extent of roadsides (i.e. the great length)

Western Australia

Formal recognition of the importance of roadside reserves occurred in the 1960s when then-Premier of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

, the Hon.

David Brand Sir David Brand KCMG (1 August 1912 – 15 April 1979) was an Australian politician. A member of the Liberal Party, he was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia from 1945 to 1975, and also the 19th and longest-serving Premi ...

, ensured all new roads in Western Australia would have road reserves at least 40 metres wider than that needed for transport purposes.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roadside conservation Urban studies and planning terminology Hydrology and urban planning Environmental design Nature conservation in Australia