Urban wildlife science in coupled human-natural systems

Abstract

Coupled human and natural systems (CHANS) are defined as systems in which human and natural components interact. Nowhere is this coupling as intense as in cities, and therefore, urban wildlife is distinguished from other wildlife by the increased level of interaction with people and human modified environments. Efforts to understand urban wildlife ecology therefore require explicit consideration of interactions and feedback between social and natural systems. In this chapter, we describe the dominant models developed for conceptualizing CHANS, and explain key principles for urban wildlife science that emerge from a perspective rooted in CHANS.