Incidences of road kills and injuries of Komodo dragons along the north coast of Flores Island, Indonesia

The development of roads coinciding with human expansion and settlement can lead to substantial habitat degradation and biodiversity impact. For terrestrial animals, roads can also result in direct mortality or injury due to motor vehicle collisions. Flores is the largest among the five islands harboring Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) in southeast Indonesia. With few and scattered protected areas and a rapidly expanding human population, Komodo Dragons and their natural habitat are increasingly under threat, particularly on the north coast of Flores. In this study we used opportunistic surveys and roadside monitoring to record the incidence of vehicle related Komodo Dragon injury and mortality along a recent road development in northern Flores. We found eight incidents of Komodo Dragon injury (n = 2) and mortality (n = 6) occurring over a 5-y period. All reported casualties occurred during the cooler dry season and were concentrated along an approximately 2-km section of road that intersecting high-quality dry Monsoon Forest habitat. We argue that preventive measures including road warning signage, speed bumps, and possibly underpasses should be used to raise driver awareness, reduce vehicle speed, and decrease impacts to this small and declining Komodo Dragon population in northern Flores.