Tasmania is hoping to shake its unofficial title as the "roadkill capital of the world" with the launch of a new phone app.

It is estimated that up to 500,000 native animals are killed on the state's roads each year.

Road users can record where they see a dead animal. ( Supplied: Roadkill Tas )

The free Roadkill Tas app lets users record where they see dead native animals on the road.

The information logged by road users through the app will assist with management and mitigation techniques to try to reduce the amount of roadkill on Tasmanian roads and protect threatened species.

Sam Fox from Save the Tasmanian Devil Program said the data would help identify hotspots where virtual fencing can be used.

The electronic system aims to prevent animals crossing the road when a vehicle is approaching at night.

Alarm units positioned about 100 metres apart are triggered by headlights, emitting a loud alarm and a flash of light.

"We've done a three-year trial up on the Arthur River Road and the data shows it reduced the roadkill by about 50 per cent," she said.

"We need to know where the hotspots are and the only way we can find that out is by gathering data."

'Roadkill's the devils' second-worst threat'

Ms Fox said road users were the second biggest threat to Tasmanian devils.

"Every single year we have between 350 and 400 reports of Tasmanian devils being killed on our roads," she said.

"This is really important because after devil facial tumour disease [DFTD], roadkill is the second greatest threat to devils.

"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 and there many only be a handful of breeding females, so if you lose one or two of those breeding females to roadkill that can have a devastating impact on that population.

"It could even lead to local extinction."

Sam Fox and Greg Irons hope the campaign will reduce Tasmania's roadkill numbers. ( ABC News )

Roadkill can indicate healthy ecosystem

Loading

Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary director Greg Irons hoped the app would be taken up by all Tasmanians.

"We have to do whatever we can to try and reduce the numbers [of roadkill]," he said.

"It's not just about endangered species, keeping them around, it's about the individual suffering that these animals go through.

"We all know there are some roads worse than others but we need to be able to identify that and have proof behind it, especially if we are looking at government funding [for mitigation measures].

"We're not that bad of drivers, the fact is that it's actually the sign of having a healthy ecosystem.

"In some regards, it's a positive that we've got so many animals here but does that mean we don't care as much? No, quite the opposite."

The Roadkill Tas app was developed by a New Zealand app development company and was made possible by a $20,000 donation from the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo in Indiana in the United States.

The app will be trialled in Tasmania for two years.