In the first installment of its Rare Reads conversation series, Rare welcomed environmental journalist Ben Goldfarb to the virtual stage to discuss his new book, Crossings: How Road Ecology is Shaping the Future of Our Planet.
Goldfarb, known for his acclaimed book Eager, joined Rare’s Kristi Marciano to explore the consequences of roads on wildlife and the environment, while proposing solutions to mitigate these effects.
Rare Reads is a new initiative from Rare to highlight engaging, thought-provoking, and solutions-based storytelling around conservation and climate change.
WATCH the full conversation with Ben Goldfarb
The Scale and Impact of Roads
Goldfarb framed the vastness of the global road network, noting that the U.S. alone has about 4 million miles (about 6.4 million km) of roads. This infrastructure, while essential for human activities, significantly affects wildlife by fragmenting habitats, creating barriers, and killing a wide range of species in big numbers through vehicle collisions.
“Roads are so ubiquitous we don’t really think about them very much,” said Goldfarb. “Everything they provide to us as human beings, they deny wild animals.”
Roadkill: An Overlooked Crisis
Roadkill was a significant and visible effect of roads. Over a million vertebrate animals die from vehicle collisions in the U.S. each day. This includes not only common species like deer and raccoons but also endangered species such as Florida panthers and ocelots. Goldfarb emphasized that traffic is the leading human cause of vertebrate mortality on land, surpassing threats like hunting and habitat destruction.
“There is literally nothing that we do that kills more wild animals than drive,” said Goldfarb.
Evolutionary Mismatch and Human Safety
Goldfarb explained that many animals’ defensive mechanisms, evolved over millennia, failed against fast-moving vehicles. For instance, turtles withdraw into their shells and porcupines bristle their quills—strategies ineffective against cars.
“When your predator is an F-150 barreling down I-70 at 80 miles an hour, the worst possible thing you can do is withdraw into your shell and stand your ground,” said Goldfarb.
Moreover, roadkill is a human safety concern. Deer-vehicle collisions, for example, results in about 2 million accidents annually in the U.S., costing society billions and leading to hundreds of human fatalities.
The Moving Fence
Beyond collisions, Goldfarb explained how roads act as barriers, preventing animal movement and creating the “moving fence” phenomenon. Busy highways isolate animal populations and cut off access to vital habitats. Goldfarb provided examples like mule deer in Wyoming, whose winter ranges were severed by highways, leading to high starvation rates in harsh winters. Goldfarb used a map graphic to show the mule deer concentrated north of an Interstate highway, with barely any on the South side.
“As you can see those deer basically never make it south of I 80, and that’s a problem, because a lot of the really good winter range is South of that highway. Historically, those deer might have gone as far south as Colorado, where I live,” said Goldfarb.
Wildlife Crossings: A Practical Solution
Wildlife crossings—overpasses and underpasses that allow safe animal passage across roads—offer a promising solution. Originating in Europe, these structures have gained traction in North America, with notable projects in Banff National Park, Canada, and various U.S. states.
Highlighting Canada, which built around 40 wildlife crossings including a half-dozen overpasses, Goldfarb shared how it has been successful particularly for grizzly bears.
“Sows and cubs went back and forth; sows taught their cubs how to cross and their cubs became crossers,” said Goldfarb. “There’s kind of this cool intergenerational exchange of knowledge within that that bear population, and that was very well documented by scientists.”
In addition to reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions and restoring habitat connectivity, Goldfarb mentioned the economic benefits, as crossings quickly pay for themselves by preventing costly accidents.
Goldfarb used an example of a wildlife crossing overpass in Wyoming. “There was lots of hand wringing when it was proposed,” he said. “Are we really going to spend millions of dollars helping antelope cross a highway? But this structure actually paid for itself in under five years through crash prevention.”
The Role of Storytelling
Following Goldfarb’s presentation, Marciano asked him several questions about the book beginning with the role of storytelling.
Goldfarb acknowledged the power of storytelling in fostering ecological empathy and driving conservation efforts. Animals like P-22, the mountain lion, which inspired the construction of an overpass in Southern California. Evelyn, the giant anteater, helped build support for scientists studying the impacts of Brazil’s new highways on giant anteaters and other species.
Marciano connected these examples with Rare’s own Pride Campaigns, in which Rare partners with communities to use mascots of local species to build public support for their protection.
“We change our behaviors when we can empathize with an animal,” said Marciano.
Community Action
Asked about what individuals can do to help address the problem, Goldfarb first acknowledged the obvious.
“Certainly you can be a more conscientious driver,” said Goldfarb, before turning to the power of local advocacy.
“Fortunately, what’s nice about this issue is that it is truly nonpartisan,” said Goldfarb. “This is an issue where doing the good citizen thing, writing letters to your elected officials, really it does make a difference.”