Expert Perceptions of the Ecological Impacts of Road Construction in Natural Ecosystems: A Cross-Disciplinary Comparison

Expert assessments of the ecological impacts of road construction in natural ecosystems were examined through a cross-disciplinary comparative perspective. Data were collected from experts in civil engineering, urban and regional planning, forest engineering, and landscape architecture. Responses to the Ecological Impacts of Road Construction in Natural Ecosystems (EIRCNE) scale were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and comparative statistical tests. Five hypotheses (H1–H5) were developed to examine disciplinary differences in expert evaluations. Results indicated broad agreement on the overall ecological impacts of road construction, although discipline-specific differences emerged in perceptions of direct ecological damage and construction priorities. Factor analysis confirmed a multidimensional structure of expert assessments (KMO = 0.810; χ2 = 1665.219; df = 435; p < 0.001). Hypotheses concerning direct ecological damage (H2) and construction priorities (H5) were supported, whereas no significant disciplinary differences were detected for indirect effects or managerial processes (H3 and H4). These findings suggest that evaluating road planning and construction solely from a technical perspective may overlook important ecological dimensions. The study provides empirical evidence from Türkiye regarding how experts from different professional disciplines perceive and prioritize the ecological impacts of road construction and highlights the importance of incorporating diverse disciplinary perspectives into environmental decision-making processes.