 A road-building boom in Asia poses a threat to the recovery of tiger populations. In a new study, Neil Carter, assistant professor of wildlife conservation at the University of Michigan and his colleagues, estimated that 15,000 miles of new roads will be built in tiger habitats by 2050. There are more than 83,000 miles of roads there now. Road construction worsens existing threats to tigers, such as poaching and habitat loss. Over 40% of areas where tiger breeding was recently detected are within only three miles of a road. Carter says that new roads should be developed with biodiversity and tiger protection in mind. Countries can make laws to prohibit road development in their protected areas and do better environmental impact studies before design and construction. Roads can also be closed off to traffic at night or have wildlife crossings built for tigers in their prey. With Asian economies growing, more roads will be built, so now is the time to get funding agencies and national governments to put these types of measures in place.