Animal Behavior, Cognition, and Human–Wildlife Interactions in Urban Areas

Abstract

Abstract Behavioral change is frequently identified as quintessential in facilitating urban living, yet simultaneously linked to human–wildlife conflict. Changes to behaviors (e.g., boldness, movement, dietary flexibility), cognition, and learning can be near-instantaneous, enabling urban animals to effectively deal with novel environmental stressors. However, behavioral innovations that increase the likelihood of human–wildlife conflict potentially jeopardize fitness gains. Moreover, some species in urban areas are behaviorally inflexible or intolerant of humans, presenting a different set of challenges to conserving such species in cities. This work explains how the principles of conservation behavior and cognition present a multifaceted toolkit for bolstering urban biodiversity while minimizing the detrimental impacts of human–wildlife conflict. Management and conservation strategies will also vary according to the perceived threat and valuation of certain wildlife species. As such, this work additionally explores how social and urban heterogeneity coalesce to influence the spatial and temporal nature of human–wildlife interactions in cities. Tolerance of certain wildlife species by people creates invisible “human shields,” in which species perceived as benign (e.g., eastern grey squirrels or eastern cottontail) in turn demonstrate increased human tolerance relative to those considered high threat (e.g., mountain lions, coyotes). The combination of participatory surveys and conservation behavior allows us to build models that predict and prevent impending conflicts based on: (1) how various wildlife utilize urban space in human-dominated environments; and (2) how human residents vary in their perceptions of those wildlife.