Kannan Vaithianathan

Urban areas are predicted to grow significantly in the foreseeable future because of increasing human population growth. Predicting the impact of urban development and expansion on wildlife populations is of considerable interest due to possible effects on biodiversity and human-wildlife conflict. With the growth and expansion of the human population and changes in sociological profiles, more natural and semi-natural habitats are being replaced to provide dwellings and associated infrastructure. Urban settlements, in particular, are expected to house increasing numbers of people at higher densities and straining limited resources. However, urban areas in developed countries typically contain remnant patches of semi-natural habitats and comprise substantial regions of private residential gardens and government lands, which provide habitats for a range of wildlife species. Such species’ prevalence depends on their ability to survive and reproduce in extensively modified landscapes and is influenced by human tolerance and conflict patterns.

For example, urban wildlife can transmit diseases to humans and companion animals, damage structures, food supplies and ornamental vegetation, cause traffic accidents, attack companion animals and humans, and cause general nuisance by defecating, raiding rubbish bins and digging in lawns. The relative importance of these problems is likely to affect the willingness of householders to accept the proximity of a given species. For example, except for commensal rodents, urban wildlife in India poses few significant problems, and most urban residents highly value nature in their gardens through ornamental. Indeed, as urban areas expand in countries like India, they will increasingly represent the day-to-day experiences of wildlife for the majority of the population and in line with this view, the Indian government and many non-government organisations are increasingly emphasising the importance of urban wildlife to urban residents and the potential value of wildlife gardening involving native species in attracting wild species into residential gardens…read more on NOPR