21. Urban wildlife management – its emergence and the factors influencing urban wildlife Flashcards
History of Urbanisation
After the second World War the cars and the flats (especially the block of flats in the cities) became cheaper. Connection (among cities and other important areas) of highway were going to faster. The transportation became easier and faster.
The ratio of rural and urban inhabitants were changing (50% of the mankind live in the city environments on global level, and 80% in the developed countries actually)
More work possibilities and higher salary especially in the cities – the life conditions in the cities much more easier like in the rural/agricultural areas.
Urbanisation is the process by which a rural area becomes an urban one
Change and expansion in construction of settlements and building, leading to habitat fragmentation and spatial isolation of natural ecosystems. This created an increase in wildlife x human interactions (conflicts).
The emergence of urban wildlife management came to:
* Understand urban ecosystems
* Investigate landscape connectivity and function
* Encourage biophilia and connection to nature
Characteristic of urban habitats
- Species from surrounding habitats
- Introduced species in artificial habitats
- Abandoned area
- Intensive human presence
- Quick changing
- Isolation
- Habitats island
- Degraded soil
The causes of mortality of urban species
* The most frequent predators are dog and cat
o Natural predators and raptors usually are missing
o The most species are not killed by humans
* Traffic accident
* Tube, channel, high voltage and any other artificial impact
Habitat types
- Remnant habitat – each undeveloped/ mostly unmanaged natural areas
- Successional habitat – abandoned areas/vacant lots
- Managed habitat types – urban parks, cemeteries etc
ACCORDING TO THE INTENSITY OF HUMAN DISTURBANCE
Rarely used territories, in low density (for example cemeteries)
▪ Occasionally used habitats, but not often, and with higher human density (for example sport fields.
▪ Regularly, frequently used habitats, but with various human density rates (for example green parks)
Urban Gray Spaces
▪ Gray spaces are the human constructed features unique to urbanisation. (landfills, airports, buildings etc.)
▪ Wildlife encounters with buildings, windows, and towers can have both positive and negative consequences.
▪ Birds and bats have adopted bridges as alternative sites for rearing young, resting, and as a safe havens from predation and adverse weather conditions.
Green spaces
There is evidence of the ecological, social, economical benefits of urban greenspace.
Urban wildlife
Synanthropic species such as mouse, rat, sparrow etc
▪ Escaped pet animals, exotic, dangerous: snakes, turtle, parrots etc.
▪ Ingoing – usually generalist, well adapted, game –species: deer species, wild boar, stone marten, rabbit etc.
Why?
Food, warmer climate
Similarities between urban and rural wildlife management
- Involves game, nongame, exotic, threatened species
- Uses standard wildlife management procedures
- Action requires input, participation, and oversight by state wildlife and/or nature conservation agencies
- Potential economic losses or gains are the primary catalysts for management action
- Wildlife management goals are both proactive and reactive
- Uses professional and popular outlets to disseminate the status of information to the whole community
Differences between urban and rural wildlife management
Urban
* Lower diversity of native plant and animal species
* Fewer sources of state funding for management programs
* A new and developing focus for research, management and education programs
* Small scales analysis
Rural
* Higher diversity.
* More sources
* Large and established focus
* Large scales analysis
Urban wildlife management
Part of the wildlife biology and game management
▪ Work, examination, and management in urban areas
▪ Manage all species in urban areas
▪ Pest animals: rat, mouse.
▪ Game animals: fox, wild boar
▪ Protected species: bat, frogs
▪ Interesting, kindly animals singing birds
▪ Manage the connections between the humans and the wildlife
▪ Urban wildlife management is a marriage between people and its surroundings
Urban wildlife is part of wildlife biology and game management. It deals with work, examination and management of urban areas as well as management of species in urban areas.
Factors influencing urban wildlife
* Urban habitats, food, climate, habitat segmentation
* Behaviour, competition, population density and dynamics
* Supplementary feeding
* Damages, pollution
* Shelters
Most important goals of urban wildlife management:
- Maintain viable populations of current species
- Manage population in urban areas
- Increase the diversity (species richness) of the habitats
- Manage vegetation types or habitat
- Manage the connection between the city wildlife and theirs habitat
- Manipulate or regulate human contact or interaction with one or more species
- Regulate ecosystem processes that affect wildlife (predation, epizootics etc)
- Control the diversity, size, and connectivity of wildlife habitat units.
- Have respect for aesthetic, economic, educational, ecological and recreational value of species and habitats
Important to manage urban wildlife when:
- Species populations are too high density
- Exotic species appeared in urban habitats
- The species dangerous for humans
- The damage or the place of the damage is unbearable for humans.
- Human & wildlife conflict
Issues in Urban wildlife management
- Habitat destruction, alteration, fragmentation and isolation
- Isolation of humans from natural world
- Lack of information, education, and awareness by the public
- Inappropriate (positive or negative) responses by humans to wildlife
- Critical need for a plan and continuing action
