Urban wildlife conservation

Read the material provided (use as sources as well) and answer the following: Readings for questions 1-3: Chapter 4-5 and Urban biodiversity gains new converts, Cities are hotspots for threatened species & Predicting native landscape preferences.

1. Planning for urban biodiversity: The Ives et al. article argues that cities can play an important role in the conservation of threatened species, particularly plants. Should this be a priority for urban planners? How could it be done, given that land in urban areas is always prioritized for other uses?

2. Urban Citizen and Student Research: The “Urban Biodiversity Gains New Converts” article describes the Urban Barcode Project. What other examples of citizen or student science projects are out there in urban areas? Do you think these programs are valuable, and if so, why?

3. Lawns: Imagine that you’re in charge of a program whose goal is to persuade homeowners to convert their lawns to native plants. How would the “Predicting Native Plant” article inform the program activities? What activities would you propose doing to meet the program goals? Some information for question 4 can be found in chapters 3&6

4. Public Outreach and Education: The need for public outreach and education in urban wildlife conservation is a theme that we’ll be returning to over the course of the semester. Your readings this week opened up the possibilities of many types of public outreach on many different topics. What sorts of things should you consider when creating a public outreach/educational program? You can use specific examples (even made-up ones), or use more general terms, but think of this as starting to create a list of important points to consider when doing work of this nature.