Managing urban wildlife habitat at the local scale

Abstract

Homeowners and managers of municipal properties can make a significant contribution to urban wildlife conservation in backyards, neighborhood common areas, or local parks. Although only 2.8 % of the earth's surface, the urban land base comprises more than 41.5 billion ha, yielding ample space to create and maintain habitat for wildlife. A majority of the urban land base lies in suburban and commercial developments, where individual home or business owners have local control over many of the factors (e.g., establishment and maintenance of vegetation in the landscape) that influence wildlife habitat. Herein, I provide a road map to successful management of wildlife habitat at the local scale, beginning with several guiding principles that should hold true in nearly every urban area around the globe. I describe key challenges to managing local habitat patches in the urban landscape and strategies that should improve the likelihood the habitat is managed appropriately for target wildlife. Most of these approaches involve protecting or restoring vegetation communities. Where vegetation has been mostly or entirely replaced by the built environment and associated impervious surfaces, opportunities to manage habitat locally will be limited. On the other hand, where large expanses of natural area were protected, relatively low levels of management may be required to conserve wildlife. Because every habitat patch has a unique management history, vegetation composition and structure, and surrounding context, each deserves a unique plan for its conservation. Finally, I address strategies to mitigate the potential detrimental effects of human structures that are common in urban areas (e.g., windows, communication towers, and power lines).