Introduction

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

URBAN WILDLIFE MONITORING IN THE CITY OF EDMONTON




Urban wildlife refers to wild animals that live in or frequent urban areas. Urban wildlife populations may be affected by factors such as habitat fragmentation, pollution, climate change, and human activities such as urbanization, development, and land-use changes. Urban wildlife can have both positive and negative impacts on human communities, providing ecological and aesthetic benefits while also posing potential risks to public health and safety.  

Figure 1. Remote Camera Picture

Mule deer. Picture captured on June 12, 2018.  

Source: â’¸ WildEdmonton Program

Figure 2. A century of Edmonton's growth

Mapping of city growth from 1917 - 2017. 

Source: Darkhorse Analytics [https://bit.ly/3ZpRsVD]





Monitoring urban wildlife becomes increasingly important as cities continue to expand and encroach on natural habitats. By understanding how urbanization affects wildlife populations, we can make informed decisions to mitigate negative impacts and promote coexistence between humans and wildlife. 



Wildlife monitoring is utilized for urban ecological planning in Edmonton to promote sustainability and biodiversity protection. Urban ecological planners have implemented various methods to integrate the needs of wildlife in urban areas into land use planning. The main monitoring project is based on tracking coyotes (Canis latrans) movement patterns. This data has been used to create ecological connectivity indices to evaluate the environmental worth of natural regions prior to development (Stevenson, 2022). Since 2018, a robust monitoring network of remote cameras has been deployed throughout the city to monitor wildlife presence and abundance. This network is referred to as the WildEdmonton Program.


WildEdmonton Program


The WildEdmonton Program is a collaborative effort between the City of Edmonton and Dr. St. Clair Laboratory at the University of Alberta. It was initiated to monitor natural areas and wildlife in the city. The program utilizes remote cameras to track urban wildlife activity patterns and has deployed a total of 122 cameras since May 1, 2018, with the most recent deployment on December 19, 2019. As of June/July 2021, images captured by these cameras (>1M) have been analyzed and tagged for further analysis.  

Figure 3. Remote Camera Picture

Coyote. Picture captured on August 20, 2020.  

Source: â’¸ WildEdmonton Program

WildEdmonton Program website [https://bit.ly/3ZJWego]

RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND APPLICATIONS

With the data captured by the WildEdmonton Program from 2018 to 2021,  the main objective of this study is to evaluate the urban factors that may influence wildlife visitation rates in Edmonton to help enhance biodiversity monitoring and urban planning strategies.

Research Question 1 →

Which groups of urban factors influence wildlife visitation rates in Edmonton, and to what extent? 


Application:

By reducing the complexity of the data, this project seeks to identify the components that account for the highest percentage of geographic variability among all monitoring sites (remote cameras) deployed throughout the city. These components, in turn, correlate with the visitation rate [wildlife visits/day] detected at each monitoring site. This will allow for identifying statistically significant correlations, supporting the creation of management strategies in urban ecological planning. For example, Coyotes and Magpies are prevalent mammal and bird species found throughout the city. Understanding the urban factors that influence their visitation rates would enable the implementation of habitat protection strategies tailored to specific sites. Protecting these species could have a positive impact on other native wildlife that share similar habitats, known as the "Umbrella effect" in ecology, given their widespread distribution throughout the city. 

Research Question 2 →

What thresholds can be predicted in urban factors as a foundation of strategies for the protection of the most common and rare mammal and bird species detected in the City of Edmonton? 


Application:

The previous research question of investigating the relationship between wildlife visitation and urban factors is a promising approach. However, it could be unclear which urban factors the city should prioritize. To address this, a multivariate regression analysis will be conducted as an initial attempt to predict specific values for the spatial factors estimated in this research project. The results of this analysis will provide guidance on where the city can begin to focus its efforts. For illustrative purposes, only the five most common and rare mammal and bird species identified through the WildEdmonton monitoring program will be examined. 

RESEARCH IMPACT


It is common to observe many Hares, Magpies, Coyotes, and Crows around the city. At what distance from the city centre are these animals more likely to be detected? 

Cougar and Lynx have been identified in Edmonton, which is surprising. Are these animals more likely to be spotted near forests or water bodies? 

The multivariate statistical analysis in this research project can provide answers to those kinds of questions. These answers, in turn, can offer scientific support for urban planning strategies specifically designed to safeguard biodiversity and, on a larger scale, protect Edmonton's ecological network (Figure 4). As a transitional boreal zone, the city plays a crucial role in serving as a corridor for wildlife movement and migration across the province of Alberta and other territories. Hence, implementing such protection strategies could help preserve this ecological network and ensure the long-term sustainability of the local environment. 

Figure 3. Edmonton's Ecological Network

Representation of Edmonton's ecological network developed in 2018. Crucial landscape elements that are important for protecting the biodiversity and ecological functions of boreal ecosystems coexisting with the urban environment are identified in this map. 

Source:  Global Platform for Sustainable Cities [shorturl.at/CHO79].