Wildlife in cities: from drivers of adjustment to management

The current trends in urbanisation vary across cities and geographic regions (Seto et al.
2013, Zhang 2016) and are creating distinct ecological consequences for urban wild-
life (i.e. animals living freely in cities alongside humans) worldwide. Given these con-
ditions, urban wildlife has gained significant attention in the 21st century (Magle et al.
2012, Elmqvist 2013, Rodewald and Stanley 2014, Collins et al. 2021, Sultana et al.
2023). There is an increasing focus on understanding the patterns and drivers of urban
wildlife distributions, linking species behaviour, landscape ecology, conservation and
management issues across rural–urban gradients.
There is growing evidence of wildlife behavioural patterns adjusted to urbanisation,
for example in foraging or reproduction, or predator–prey interactions (Rodewald and
Stanley 2014, Gallo et al. 2019, Gil-Fernandez et al. 2020). People perceive and value
increasing wildlife presence in cities differently, varying from positive perception of
enhanced nature experience and psychological benefits to negative concerns related to
nuisance, safety, and disease risks (Soulsbury and White 2015, Castillo-Huitrón et al.
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2020, Manfredo et al. 2020, Moesch et al. 2024). This is often associated with increas-
ing human–wildlife conflicts and management issues, related to increasing numbers
of non-native species, animal collisions with vehicles and buildings, damages to gar-
dens, and the risk (and fear of ) of zoonotic pathogen transmission (Riley et al. 2002,
Magle et al. 2012, Peerenboom et al. 2020). Given these complexities, a comprehen-
sive understanding of how urban wildlife adapt to cities, alongside the human dimen-
sion of coexistence, is essential to advance effective management and conservation
efforts (Alberti et al. 2008, McCleery et al. 2014).