Urban rewilding as a key strategy to combat biodiversity decline

(Press-News.org) In recent years, the concept of "rewilding" has risen to prominence in the conservation community, but to date, most efforts have been concentrated on large protected areas far from cities—and consequently, far from urban areas suffering pronounced biodiversity losses. In a recently published BioScience article, Patrick Finnerty (University of Sydney) and colleagues make the case for "urban rewilding" as a vital approach for addressing biodiversity losses, focusing on the rapidly expanding cities that are soon expected to be home to 70% of Earth's human inhabitants.

Urban rewilding, as described by the authors, relies on the reintroduction of faunal species into relatively small patches within or near areas of human commerce and habitation. According to the Finnerty and colleagues, such approaches may "increase 'wild-ness', enhance ecosystem function, optimize trophic-level occupation and food webs, restore historical species assemblages, and foster more self-sustaining ecosystems."

Such outcomes distinguish the urban rewilding concept from traditional urban conservation approaches, which tend to rely on the reintroduction of plant species. A literature review of conservation articles highlights this phenomenon, revealing that only 1.2% of 2,812 articles examined documented active terrestrial faunal species reintroductions into urban environments. Instead, the majority (65%) of restoration efforts were focused exclusively on vegetation. Despite the value of plant reintroductions, say the authors, such initiatives typically fail to fully "rebuild" ecosystems. Often, the fragmented nature of urban habitat patches prevents animal species from reaching and reestablishing populations within them.

Finnerty and colleagues argue that urban rewilding presents unique opportunities for conservation and human engagement that traditional approaches often miss, with humans being an important beneficiary: "Reintroducing species back into where people live and work presents an opportunity to ensure community involvement, fostering a sense of ownership and collaboration in the rewilding process, and nurturing a deeper connection between urban residents and their local ecosystems."

The researchers conclude that urban rewilding could complement broader ecological restoration initiatives while providing substantial health and well-being benefits to city residents. "The benefits of community involvement in urban rewilding efforts extend beyond fostering pro-environmental attitudes," the authors explain, citing "a multitude of measurable health and well-being benefits" that arise from interactions with nature in urban settings.

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