Abstract
Urban wildlife ecology and conservation is a discipline worldwide in scope. Although some attention was given the subject in the early to mid-1900s, most activity in the field is of more recent origin. Many European countries have active programs and activities, including the United Kingdom-Man and the Biosphere (UK-MAB) Urban Forum and The Wildlife Trusts of England, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization's MAB Program, and urban ecology research in Germany and Poland. The Netherlands' concept of “ecological landscapes” introduced a new approach to design of urban open space. Durban, South Africa followed with “D'MOSS,” a metropolitan open space system founded on the principles of island biogeography theory. The park connector network of Singapore combines principles of conservation biology and landscape planning. Urban wildlife programs and activities exist in the United States at the federal, state, and local levels as well as in private conservation organizations. The Wildlife Society established an Urban Affairs and Regional Planning Committee in the mid-1970s that later became the Urban Wildlife Committee and then evolved into the Urban Wildlife Working Group. Urban wildlife research is providing knowledge of wildlife and plant populations and communities in urban areas that hopefully will lead to better understanding and greater sustainability of urban ecosystems.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abella, S.R., Jaeger, J.F., Gehring, D.H., Jacksy, R.G., Menard, K.S. and High, K.A. (2001) Restoring historic plant communities in the Oak Openings region of northwest Ohio. Ecological Restoration 19, 155–160.
Adams, C.E. and Grammer, M. (2000) A study to determine the degree of preparedness by academia and state wildlife agencies to facilitate urban wildlife management. Presented at the symposium “Thirty Years of Urban Wildlife Management: Directions for a New Millennium,” held in conjunction with The Wildlife Society's Annual Meeting, Nashville, Tennessee, 12–16 September. (Abstract published)
Adams, L.W. (1988) Some recent advances in urban wildlife research and management. In Proceedings of the Third Southeastern Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Symposium (R.R. Odom, K.A. Riddleberger and J.C. Ozier, eds.), pp. 213–224. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Social Circle, USA.
Adams, L.W. (1989) National Institute for Urban Wildlife. Environmental Conservation 16, 276–277.
Adams, L.W. (1994) Urban Wildlife Habitats: A Landscape Perspective. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, USA.
Adams, L.W. and Dove, L.E. (1984) Urban Wetlands for Stormwater Control and Wildlife Enhancement. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Adams, L.W. and Dove, L.E. (1989) Wildlife Reserves and Corridors in the Urban Environment: A Guide to Ecological Landscape Planning and Resources Conservation. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Adams, L.W. and Leedy, D.L., (eds.) (1987) Integrating Man and Nature in the Metropolitan Environment. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Adams, L.W. and Leedy, D.L., (eds.) (1991) Wildlife Conservation in Metropolitan Environments. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Adams, L.W. and VanDruff, L.W. (1998) Introduction. Urban Ecosystems 2, 63.
Adams, L.W., Hadidian, J. and Flyger, V. (2004) Movement and mortality of translocated urban-suburban grey squirrels. Animal Welfare 13, 45–50.
Adams, L.W., Leedy, D.L. and McComb, W.C. (1987) Urban wildlife research and education in North American colleges and universities. Wildlife Society Bulletin 15, 591–595.
Adams, L.W., VanDruff, L.W. and Luniak, M. (2005) Managing urban habitats and wildlife. In Techniques for Wildlife Investigations and Management(C.E. Braun, ed.), sixth edition, pp. 714–739. The Wildlife Society, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Aldrich, J.W. and Coffin, R.W. (1980) Breeding bird populations from forest to suburbia after thirty-seven years. American Birds 34, 3–7.
Arnold, R.A. and Goins, A.E. (1987) Habitat enhancement techniques for the El Segundo blue butterfly: an urban endangered species. In Integrating Man and Nature in the Metropolitan Environment (L.W. Adams and D.L. Leedy, eds.), pp. 173–181. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology. (2004) Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology. (http://arcue.botany.unimelb.edu.au).
Baines, C. (1985) How to Make a Wildlife Garden. Elm Tree Books, London, UK.
Baines, C. (1986) The Wild Side of Town. Elm Tree Books and BBC Publications, London, UK.
Baines, C. and Smart, J. (1991) A Guide to Habitat Creation. Packard Publishing Limited, Chichester, UK.
Barker, G.M.A. (1987) European approaches to urban wildlife programs. In Integrating Man and Nature in the Metropolitan Environment (L.W. Adams and D.L. Leedy, eds.), pp. 183–190. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Batten, L.A. (1972) Breeding bird species diversity in relation to increasing urbanization. Bird Study 19, 157–166.
Beissinger, S.R. and Osborne, D.R. (1982) Effects of urbanization on avian community organization. Condor 84, 75–83.
Belensky, B.L. and Norman, P.C. (2000) The role of local government in urban wildlife management: the Howard County, Md. model. Presented at the symposium “Thirty Years of Urban Wildlife Management: Directions for a New Millennium,” held in conjunction with The Wildlife Society's Annual Meeting, Nashville, Tennessee, 12–16 September. (Abstract published)
Bender, K.C. (2004) Texas wildscapes: landscaping for wildlife. In Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Urban Wildlife Conservation(W.W. Shaw, L.K. Harris and L. VanDruff, eds.), pp. 267–269. University of Arizona, Tucson, USA.
Bennitt, R. (1946) Summarization of the eleventh North American Wildlife Conference. Transactions of the North American Wildlife Conference 11, 511–518.
Blair, R.B. (1996) Land use and avian species diversity along an urban gradient. Ecological Applications 6, 506–519.
Blair, R.B. and Launer, A.E. (1997) Butterfly diversity and human land use: species assemblages along an urban gradient. Biological Conservation 80, 113–125.
Bolen, E.G. and Robinson, W.L. (2003) Wildlife Ecology and Management. 5th ed. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, USA.
Briffett, C., Yuen, B. and Marrs, C.B. (2000) Multiple-Use Green Corridors in the City: Guidelines for Implementation. Nature Society, Singapore.
Briffett, C., Kong, L., Yuen, B. and Sodhi, N. (1997) The Planning and Ecology of Park Connector Systems in Urban Areas: Pilot Study Based on Ulu Pandan Canal, Clementi, Singapore. National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Briffett, C., Kong, L., Yuen, B. and Sodhi, N. (1999) Nature in Urban Areas: the Planning and Ecology of Green Corridor Systems in Singapore. National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Brookes, J. (1998) Natural Landscapes. DK Publishing, Inc., New York, USA.
Brooks, T. and Wortman, D. (1999) Protecting Open Space: A Review of Successful Programs and Landowner Perspectives. Metro, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Brown, P.M., D'Amico, D.R., Carpenter, A.T. and Andrews, D. (2001) Restoration of montane ponderosa pine forests in the Colorado Front Range: A forest ecosystem management plan for the city of Boulder. Ecological Restoration 19, 19–26.
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife. (1968) Man and Nature in the City. U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C., USA.
Bustad, L.K. (1987) Historical perspective. In Health Benefits of Pets: Program and Abstracts, pp. 19–20. NIH Technology Assessment Workshop, 10–11 September, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Clergeau, P., Savard, J.-P.L., Mennechez, G. and Falardeau, G. (1998) Bird abundance and diversity along an urban-rural gradient: a comparative study between two cities on different continents. Condor 100, 413–425.
Cochran, P.A. (1989) Historical changes in a suburban herpetofauna in DuPage County, Illinois. Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society 24, 1–7.
Conover, M.R. (2001) Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts: the Science of Wildlife Damage Management. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, Florida, USA.
Dasmann, R.F. (1966) Wildlife and the new conservation. The Wildlife Society News 105, 48–49.
Davey, S.P. (1967) The role of wildlife in an urban environment. Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference 32, 50–60.
Davis, J.M. (2000) Urban wildlife programs: an overview and the Texas model. Presented at the symposium “Thirty Years of Urban Wildlife Management: Directions for a New Millennium,” held in conjunction with The Wildlife Society's Annual Meeting, Nashville, Tennessee, 12–16 September. (Abstract published)
Dawe, G.F.M. (1990) The Urban Environment: A Sourcebook for the 1990s. Centre for Urban Ecology, Birmingham, UK.
DeGraaf, R.M. (1987) Urban wildlife habitat research-application to landscape design. In Integrating Man and Nature in the Metropolitan Environment (L.W. Adams and D.L. Leedy, eds.), pp. 107–111. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
DeGraaf, R.M. (1991) Winter foraging guild structure and habitat associations in suburban bird communities. Landscape and Urban Planning 21, 173–180.
DeGraaf, R.M. and Wentworth, J.M. (1986) Avian guild structure and habitat associations in suburban bird communities. Urban Ecology 9, 399–412.
Diekelmann, J. and Schuster, R. (1982) Natural Landscaping: Designing with Native Plant Communities. McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, USA.
Dunkle, F.H. (1987) Urban wildlife and the Fish and Wildlife Service: meeting a growing challenge. In Integrating Man and Nature in the Metropolitan Environment (L.W. Adams and D.L. Leedy, eds.). pp. 5–7. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Emlen, J.T. (1974) An urban bird community in Tucson, Arizona: derivation, structure, and regulation. Condor 76, 184–197.
Fitter, R.S.R. (1945) London's Natural History. Bloomsbury Books, London, UK.
Germaine, S.S. and Wakeling, B.F. (2001) Lizard species distributions and habitat occupation along an urban gradient in Tucson, Arizona, USA. Biological Conservation 97, 229–237.
Gold, S.M. (1986) User characteristics and response to vegetation in neighbourhood parks. Arboricultural Journal 10, 275–287.
Goode, D.A. (1991) Wildlife in cities. In Perspectives in Urban Ecology (E.A. Webb and S.Q. Foster, eds.), pp. 7–21. Denver Museum of Natural History, Denver, Colorado, USA.
Greater London Council. (1984) Ecology and Nature Conservation in London. Ecology Handbook 1. Greater London Council, London. UK.
Hadidian, J. and Smith, S. (2001) Urban wildlife. In The State of the Animals: 2001 (D.J. Salem and A.N. Rowan, eds.), pp. 165-182. The Humane Society of the United States, Washington, D.C., USA.
Hadidian, J., Hodge, G.R. and Grandy, J.W. (eds.) (1997) Wild Neighbors: the Humane Approach to Living with Wildlife. Fulcrum Publishing, Golden, Colorado, USA.
Harris, S. (1977) Distribution, habitat utilization and age structure of a suburban fox (Vulpes vulpes) population. Mammalian Review 7, 25–39.
Harris, S. (1981) The food of suburban foxes (Vulpes vulpes), with special reference to London. Mammalian Review 11, 151–168.
Harris, S. and Rayner, J.M.V. (1986) Urban fox (Vulpes vulpes) population estimates and habitat requirements in several British cities. Journal of Animal Ecology 55, 575–591.
Hench, J.E., Van Ness, K. and Gibbs, R. (1987) Development of a natural resources planning and management process. In Integrating Man and Nature in the Metropolitan Environment (L.W. Adams and D.L. Leedy, eds.), pp. 29–35. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Houck, M.C. (1991) Metropolitan wildlife refuge system: a strategy for regional natural resource planning. In Wildlife Conservation in Metropolitan Environments (L.W. Adams and D.L. Leedy, eds.), pp. 225–229. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Jokimäki, J. and Suhonen, J. (1993) Effects of urbanization on the breeding bird species richness in Finland: a biogeographical comparison. Ornis Fennica 70, 71–77.
Jones, D.N. and Nealson, T. (2003) Management of aggressive Australian magpies by translocation. Wildlife Research 30, 167–177.
Kieran, J. (1959) A Natural History of New York. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Kuo, F. and Faber Taylor, A. (2004) A potential natural treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: evidence from a national study. American Journal of Public Health 94, 1580–1586.
Leedy, D.L. (1979) An Annotated Bibliography on Planning and Management for Urban-suburban Wildlife. FWS/OBS-79/25. Fish and Wildlife Service, U. S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C., USA.
Leedy, D.L. and Adams, L.W. (1984) A Guide to Urban Wildlife Management. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Leedy, D.L., Franklin, T.M. and Maestro, R.M. (1981) Planning for Urban Fishing and Waterfront Recreation. FWS/OBS-80/35. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C., USA.
Leedy, D.L., Maestro, R.M. and Franklin, T.M. (1978) Planning for Wildlife in Cities and Suburbs. FWS/OBS-77/66 Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C., USA.
Leopold. A. (1933) Game Management. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, USA.
Link, R. (1999) Landscaping for Wildlife in the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle, USA.
Luniak, M. (1990) Avifauna of cities in central and eastern Europe—results of the international inquiry. In Urban Ecological Studies in Central and Eastern Europe (M. Luniak, ed.), pp. 131–149. Ossolineum, Wroclaw, Poland.
Lyons, J.R. and Leedy, D.L. (1984) The status of urban wildlife programs. Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference 49, 233–251.
Maestas, J. D., Knight, R.L. and Gilgert, W.C. (2003) Biodiversity across a rural land-use gradient. Conservation Biology 17, 1425–1434.
Marzluff, J.M., Bowman, R. and Donnelly, R. (eds.) (2001) Avian Ecology and Conservation in an Urbanizing World. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Matsil, M.A. and Feller, M.J. (1996) Natural areas restoration in New York City: a bite of the apple. Restoration & Management Notes 14, 5–14.
Montgomery County Department of Park and Planning. (2004) Natural Resources Division (www.mc-mncppc.org/naturalresources).
Murphy, D. D. (1988) Challenges to biological diversity in urban areas. In Biodiversity (E.O. Wilson, ed.), pp. 71–76. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., USA.
National Park Service. (2004) Center for Urban Ecology (www.nps.gov/cue/).
National Science Foundation. (2004) Cityscapes Are Landscapes, Too (www.nsf.gov).
National Wildlife Federation. (1974) Gardening With Wildlife: A Complete Guide to Attracting and Enjoying the Fascinating Creatures in Your Backyard. National Wildlife Federation, Washington, D.C., USA.
National Wildlife Federation. (2004) Backyard Wildlife Habitat™ Program (www.nwf.org).
Nilon, C.H., Rowntree, R.A. and Natural Resources Group. (1987) Wildlife management in natural areas of New York City parks. In Integrating Man and Nature in the Metropolitan Environment (L.W. Adams and D.L. Leedy, eds.), p. 239. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Penland, S. (1987) The urban wildlife program of the Washington Department of Game. In Integrating Man and Nature in the Metropolitan Environment (L.W. Adams and D.L. Leedy, eds.), p. 241. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Roberts, D.C. (1994) The design of an urban open-space network for the city of Durban (South Africa). Environmental Conservation 21, 11–17.
Rolando, A., Maffei, G., Pulcher, C. and Giuso, A. (1997) Avian community structure along an urbanization gradient. Italian Journal of Zoology 64, 341–349.
Rollinson, D.J. and Jones, D.N. (2002) Variation in breeding parameters of the Australian magpie Gymnorhina tibicen in suburban and rural environments. Urban Ecosystems 6, 257–269.
Rollinson, D.J., O'Leary, R. and Jones, D.N. (2003) The practice of wildlife feeding in suburban Brisbane. Corella 27, 52–58.
Rudd, H., Vala, J. and Schaefer, V. (2002) Importance of backyard habitat in a comprehensive biodiversity conservation strategy: a connectivity analysis of urban green spaces. Restoration Ecology 10, 368-375.
Ruff, A.R. (1987) Holland and the Ecological Landscapes 1973-1987. Delft University Press, Delft, Netherlands.
Savard, J.-P.L., Clergeau, P. and Mennechez, G. (2000) Biodiversity concepts and urban ecosystems. Landscape and Urban Planning 48, 131–142.
Shaw, W.W. and Supplee, V. (1987) Wildlife conservation in rapidly expanding metropolitan areas: informational, institutional, and economic constraints and solutions. In Integrating Man and Nature in the Metropolitan Environment (L.W. Adams and D.L. Leedy, eds.), pp. 191–197. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Shenstone, J.C. (1912) The flora of London building sites. Journal of Botany 50, 117–124.
Stearns, F.W. (1967) Wildlife habitat in urban and suburban environments. Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference 32, 61–69.
Sukopp, H. (1990) Urban Ecology—the Case of Berlin. D. Reimer Verlag, Berlin, Germany.
The Humane Society of the United States. (2004) Urban wildlife—our wild neighbors. (www.hsus.org).
The Trust for Public Land. (1994) Healing America's Cities: Why We Must Invest in Urban Parks. The Trust for Public Land, San Francisco, California, USA.
The Wildlife Trusts. (2003) (www.wildlifetrusts.org).
The Wildlife Society. (2003) Wildlife policy statement – urban wildlife. (www.wildlife.org).
Thompson, G.F. and Steiner, F.R. (eds.) (1997) Ecological Design and Planning. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, USA.
Thorne, D.H. and Witter, D.J. (2001) Developing urban programs in Missouri. In Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management in North America (D.J. Decker, T.L. Brown, and W.F. Siemer, eds.), pp. 200–201. The Wildlife Society, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Tufts, C. (1987) The National Wildlife Federation's urban wildlife programs... working for the nature of tomorrow™. In Integrating Man and Nature in the Metropolitan Environment (L.W. Adams and D.L. Leedy, eds.), pp. 241–242. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Tufts, C. and Loewer, P. (1995) Gardening for Wildlife: How to Create a Beautiful Backyard Habitat for Birds, Butterflies and Other Wildlife. Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pennsylvania, USA.
Twiss, R.H. (1967) Wildlife in the metropolitan landscape. Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference 32, 69–74.
Tylka, D.L., Schaefer, J.M. and Adams, L.W. (1987) Guidelines for implementing urban wildlife programs under state conservation agency administration. In Integrating Man and Nature in the Metropolitan Environment (L.W. Adams and D.L. Leedy, eds.), pp. 199–205. National Institute for Urban Wildlife, Columbia, Maryland, USA.
UK-MAB Urban Forum. (2003) Annual report 2002/03 & work programme 2003/04 (www.ukmaburbanforum.org.uk).
Ulrich, R.S. (1979) Visual landscape and psychological well-being. Landscape Research 4, 17–23.
UNESCO. (2003) The MAB programme (www.unesco.org/mab).
Urban Ecology Australia. (2003) Urban Ecology Australia (www.urbanecology.org.au).
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2003) Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds (http://birds.fws.gov/urbantreaty).
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. (2004) America's National Wildlife Refuge System (http://refuges.fws.gov).
VanDruff, L.W. and Rowse, R.N. (1986) Habitat association of mammals in Syracuse, New York. Urban Ecology 9, 413–434.
VanDruff, L.W., Bolen, E.G. and San Julian, G.J. (1994) Management of urban wildlife. In Research and Management Techniques for Wildlife and Habitats (T.A. Bookhout, ed.), pp. 507–530. The Wildlife Society, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
Walcott, C.F. (1974) Changes in bird life in Cambridge, Massachusetts from 1860 to 1964. Auk 91, 151–160.
Werner, J.E. and Tylka, D. (1984) Urban biology: the Missouri prototype. In Proceedings—Workshop on Management of Nongame Species and Ecological Communities (W.C. McComb, ed.). University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA.
Zalewski, A. (1994) A comparative study of breeding bird populations and associated landscape character, Toruń, Poland. Landscape and Urban Planning 29, 31–41.
Zerbe, S., Maurer, U., Schmitz, S. and Sukopp, H. (2003) Biodiversity in Berlin and its potential for nature conservation. Landscape and Urban Planning 62, 139–148.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Adams, L.W. Urban wildlife ecology and conservation:A brief history of the discipline. Urban Ecosyst 8, 139–156 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-005-4377-7
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-005-4377-7