An estimated half a million native animals become roadkill in Tasmania each year.
The figure has earned the Apple Isle the unwanted tag of Australia's roadkill capital, something conservationists want to shed with the help of mobile phones.
The free Roadkill Tas app, launched on Monday, lets people log where they see dead wildlife.
The aim is to pinpoint roadkill hotspots in the state, where mitigation measures such as virtual fences would be best utilised.
Biologist Sam Fox from the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program says there are 350 to 400 reports of the endangered marsupial being killed on roads each year.
"After DFTD (Devil Facial Tumour Disease) roadkill is the second greatest threat to devils," she told reporters on Monday.
"Once a population has been diseased for a number of years, those populations are really small.
"You may only have 20 animals in a population. There many only be a handful of breeding females.
"If you lose one or two of those breeding females to roadkill, that can have a devastating impact on that population."
Injured wildlife arrive at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary north of Hobart daily, director Greg Irons said.
The sanctuary rescued 7500 native animals last year, with around a third confirmed to be hit by vehicles.
"We all know roadkill is a problem in Tasmania," Mr Irons said.
"In some regards it's a positive that we've got so many animals here.
"Does that mean we don't care are much because we've got so many animals here? No, quite the opposite."
Dr Fox is hopeful the data can better inform government about where to install virtual fences that release a sound triggered by car headlights to warn wildlife of approaching vehicles.
She said a three-year trial of the emerging technology on a remote road on the state's west coast halved roadkill numbers.
The app, funded by a $20,000 donation from a zoo in America, will be trialled in Tasmania for two years.
Share
