Reimagining Urban Spaces for Wildlife: From Bin Chickens to Skyscraper Falcons
By Alexi Freeman
Article Summary
- Urban wildlife is adapting to city environments, with "bin chickens" and Peregrine Falcons finding new ways to thrive amidst human development.
- Rewilding urban spaces through green infrastructure, wildlife corridors, and biophilic design fosters biodiversity, improves air quality, and enhances residents' wellbeing.
- While rewilding offers ecological benefits, challenges such as human-wildlife conflicts and invasive species must be addressed to ensure harmonious coexistence in expanding urban areas.
Over the last 12,000 years, humanity's transition from hunter-gatherers to city-based societies has radically reshaped our planet’s topography, often at the expense of our fine-feathered and furry friends.
Cities are now the fastest-growing ecosystems on Earth, with the UN predicting two-thirds of humans will be living in urban areas by 2050.
Urban sprawl is encroaching on wild spaces and displacing countless species by stripping away their breeding grounds, food and water sources.
As wild vacancy rates continue to dwindle, our cities are increasingly home to myriad species acclimating to life in the concrete jungle.
Many wild creatures are migrating to denatured urban environments, and rewilding principles can help them extend their leases.
So, how can we reintroduce nature at city scales to promote symbiotic cohabitation among human and non-human residents?
In the words of Sir David Attenborough, “We must rewild the world”.
Adaptations
Numerous wild species are adapting to our ways of modern living. Microbes have evolved to metabolise plastic waste in landfills.
Killifish thrive in polluted oceans. Since the 1970s, White Ibis have escaped their interior wetlands to scavenge for treasure buried in our local council waste bins.
In so doing, the ibis evaded habitat loss and drought to dine on a fusion cuisine of urban pests, industrially earning their affectionate title, ‘bin chicken’.
In New York, a long-drawn-out scream from the ledge of a skyscraper could be a wailing call from one of many Peregrine Falcons nesting there, providing a high vantage point for hunting. These falcons nearly became extinct due to the widespread use of the pesticide DDT in the 1960s.
Since then, peregrine numbers have soared off the endangered list thanks to the banning of DDT in 1972, in combination with conservation efforts including artificial nesting boxes along various New York bridges.
Not every adaptation story is a harmonious one. In Lopburi, Macaque monkeys displaced from their jungles by urban development have become infamous for snatching sugary snacks from tourists.
During the pandemic, the absence of tourists led ravenous monkeys to form rival gangs that brawled over food, creating no-go zones for humans.
In Australia, numerous invasive species have adapted too well (examples being European rabbits, Northern Pacific sea-star, cane toad), causing additional strain on endangered species.
Health and Wellbeing
The “biophilia hypothesis”, introduced by Edward Wilson, theorises that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that increased exposure to nature reduces stress, improves mood and enhances overall wellbeing.
Urban green spaces like community gardens, parks and nature reserves that support wildlife rehabilitation increase our connection to the natural world, offering cortisol-lowering respite from the intensity of urban life.
Community programs encouraging citizen science and wildlife monitoring engage urban residents in conservation efforts, growing ecological responsibility and pride in our local environment.
Sustainability and Biodiversity
By prioritising green infrastructure, such as green roofs, living walls and wildlife corridors, cities provide habitat for numerous plants, small animals, birds and insects.
These measures sequester carbon, improve air quality, offer thermal insulation benefits for buildings, reduce the urban heat island effect and enhance the quality of life for residents.
The world’s three greenest cities – Oslo, Vienna and Singapore – have implemented rewilding techniques, nurturing biodiverse habitats that enable native species to navigate safely through the urban landscape.
Melbourne’s Birrarung River corridor provides 240km of diverse habitat continuity for native birds, mammals and reptiles, facilitating their movement through the city.
These corridors tessellate fragmented habitats, enabling wildlife to move freely and access essential resources. In addition, urban wetlands support amphibians, birds and aquatic plants, contributing to the overall health of urban ecosystems.
Landscape architecture and the thoughtful use of building materials also play a role in creating wildlife-friendly cities. These measures include bird-safe glass with visual markers that reduce collisions, wildlife crossings enabling animals safe passage across busy roads and incorporating endemic landscaping that enhances liveability for urban wildlife.
New York City’s High Line – an elevated railway transformed into a green walkway – highlights how decommissioned infrastructure can be rewilded to support urban wildlife.
High Line has become immensely popular with humans and is home to numerous bird, insect and mammal species, demonstrating the potential for nature-based urban planning to benefit the whole community.
Similarly, Singapore’s island-wide Park Connector Network links parks and green spaces throughout the city, providing 150km of continuous habitat for wildlife and recreational opportunities for residents.
Impact of Urban Wildlife
Urban wildlife boosts ecological health by controlling pests, pollinating plants and enhancing human wellbeing through increased connection with nature.
Rewilding also brings challenges like the risk of human-wildlife conflicts, the rise of invasive species and zoonotic diseases. To tackle these, we must apply rewilding principles to balance urban planning and wildlife management, making cities hospitable for all.
By reimagining urban spaces to accommodate wildlife, we create more sustainable, liveable cities.
The tales of ibises, monkeys and falcons remind us of nature’s adaptability and our responsibility to rewild urban environments to support diverse life forms.
As cities expand, integrating wildlife-friendly practices is vital for harmonious coexistence. Thoughtful design, sustainable practices and a deep commitment to rewilding principles will ensure urban areas are greener and more biodiverse spaces for future generations.