Wildlife

Wild Animal Welfare in Urbanization

Urban expansion creates welfare challenges for wildlife through habitat fragmentation, novel hazards, and human-wildlife conflict. Urban wildlife management is increasingly important.

Key Facts

Urban areas are the fastest-growing land use type globally, fragmenting habitat at unprecedented rates
Urban wildlife including foxes, deer, and badgers face novel welfare hazards including roads and litter
Light pollution disrupts circadian rhythms and behavior in urban wildlife
Litter and food waste cause welfare harm through ingestion and entanglement in urban wildlife
Green infrastructure including wildlife corridors and urban wetlands mitigates some urbanization welfare impacts

Welfare Considerations

Urbanization creates welfare challenges for wildlife at scale through habitat loss, fragmentation, and novel hazard exposure. Urban wildlife management that recognizes animal welfare as a component of urban planning produces better outcomes for both wildlife and human residents. Green infrastructure planning that incorporates wildlife movement and habitat connectivity is a high-leverage intervention for urban wildlife welfare.

What You Can Do

Advocate for urban planning that requires wildlife corridors and green infrastructure
Create wildlife-friendly gardens in urban environments through appropriate planting and habitat provision
Reduce litter in urban environments to prevent entanglement and ingestion harm to wildlife
Support urban wildlife monitoring programs that track welfare impacts of urban development