Malayan Tapir Roadkill: Assessment Towards Road User and Mitigation Strategies

Biodiversity conservation has become one of the key components in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda. In line with Goal 11 towards sustainable cities and communities and Goal 15 for life on land, the conflict between animals and humans must be reduced. Persisting the development of infrastructure and urbanization, animals, particularly the Malayan Tapir, have been on the brink of extinction as their numbers have been depleted due to roadkill. These animals need to migrate in search of food and shelter. However, deforestation and land conversion into highways and buildings make it challenging for them to survive. This study investigated the road user awareness and perception of Malayan tapir roadkill and strategies for mitigation among villagers in Felda Bersia, Perak. From the results, deforestation and illegal logging are the leading causes of roadkill, with a mean value of 4.36. Later, road user attitudes and awareness are the most significant factors, as 95.3% of respondents need more understanding of preserving the Malayan Tapir from roadkill, by which the preservation methods scored an overall mean value of 4.19. Therefore, it evaluated the effectiveness of the management approaches in reducing roadkill, focusing on road users' viewpoints and preferences. Mitigation options included identifying roadkill hotspots and maintaining more fences. These findings will aid in guiding the conservation efforts and upgrading the development of targeted strategies to protect the Malayan tapir population. Moreover, by engaging with local communities and incorporating road user perspectives, this outcome would later promote a collaborative approach to safeguarding this endangered species from becoming extinct.