Rewilding successes in urban areas

Amazing stuff! Bewildering! Reintroduction of natural fauna and flora into city life!

"A beaver glides through a restored wetland in London. Falcons raise chicks atop Chicago skyscrapers. Platypuses paddle through creeks on Sydney’s fringe. Leopard frogs soak up the sun in Las Vegas. Behind these scenes is a rising ecological movement: urban rewilding, where cities become havens for once displaced wildlife.

A new [survey] study ... reveals how cities across the globe are fighting back against biodiversity loss by restoring wildlife to the places it once called home. ...

team analysed 2,800 scientific papers on species reintroduction. Strikingly, fewer than 1% of rewilding programs focus on terrestrial animals in urban areas. Most efforts—about two-thirds—are still limited to vegetation. ..."

From the abstract:

"Rapid urbanization is contributing to unprecedented biodiversity decline worldwide. Despite biodiversity loss being more pronounced in cities, traditional conservation efforts such as establishing large, protected areas and restoring native vegetation are largely undertaken far from urban landscapes. More proactive approaches, such as rewilding, have garnered momentum as a conservation process but remain underused in cities.

In the present article, focusing on active faunal reintroductions, we explore urban rewilding as a process to restore ecological functions and enhance ecosystem resilience.

Through a systematic literature review, we assess the varied aims, challenges, and definitions of success in rewilding efforts in urban contexts. Moreover, we define the unique opportunities and benefits urban rewilding presents for reconnecting people with nature, fostering community engagement, and enhancing cultural connections.

Finally, we identify future research areas, including the need for long-term studies on ecological impacts, developing species selection frameworks, and exploring sociocultural dimensions of urban rewilding."

Rewilding successes in the urban jungles

Urban rewilding combats global biodiversity decline (press release) "Animals around the world are taking to city life."

Urban rewilding to combat global biodiversity decline (open access)

Figure 1.Classification of the major rewilding types based on the method of animal reintroduction (active versus passive) and the landscape into which the animals are reintroduced.