The rise of urban greening is an opportunity to recast the relationship between people and environment. Humans and non-human species are ecologically intertwined as inhabitants of cities.
Public park in Manhattan, home to a rat population with over 100 visible burrows.
Dr. Michael H. Parsons
Rats foul our food, spread disease and damage property, but we know very little about them. A biologist explains how he tracks wild rats in New York City, and what he’s learned about them so far.
Koala numbers are in decline through increased urbanisation, but they can find a safe passage if one’s provided.
Shutterstock/dirkr
Koala numbers in parts of Australia are in decline as they move from development of their land. But they can learn to take safer routes if they are built as part of the urban design.
Much of the ‘smart cities’ rhetoric is dominated by the economic, with little reference to the natural world and its plight.
Ase from www.shutterstock.com
The rhetoric of ‘smart cities’ is dominated by the economic, with little reference to the natural world and its plight. Truly smart and resilient cities need to be more in tune with the planet.
Why are our cities full of crows, ravens and rainbow lorikeets, while other species decline? The answer comes down to street smarts, adaptability, and sometimes plain bullying.
Ruling the roost: flying-foxes can suddenly arrive in huge numbers when the right trees bloom.
Justin Welbergen
Flying-foxes can cause conflict - just ask the people of Batemans Bay, NSW. But plans to disperse them won’t necessarily work without understanding these highly mobile animals’ behaviour.
Research on animals like the Black Sparrowhawk, using biomarkers, can help map how urbanisation affects animals.
David Berliner/ Flickr
Urbanisation exposes wildlife to new man-made stresses which affect species in a variety of ways.
Doing its own thing: the eastern coyote, or coywolf, is a mix of coyote, wolf and dog which has spread across eastern North America.
Jonathan Way, www.EasternCoyoteResearch.com
A wildlife biologist argues that the canid in eastern North America – known as the eastern coyote, or the coywolf by some – deserves to be classified as a separate species.
The common brushtail possum has made itself well at home in Australia’s cities.
Possum image from www.shutterstock.com
Nature is dispersed through our cities, even if we don’t notice it. And there’s abundant evidence that engaging with nature, even in urban settings, is good for us.
A puma and her two kittens look out over San Jose, California.
Cchristopher Fust
Many Americans move to rural areas to live near nature. But the mere presence of humans changes wildlife behavior in ways that may have ripple effects.
What’s hiding in your garden this summer?
Matt/Wikimedia Commons
Peter Alagona, University of California, Santa Barbara
Urban wildlife is here to stay. Cities and their residents need better policies to coexist with the many animals making their homes in cities and suburbs.