3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

An increasing human population, urban sprawl, global travel and commerce are hallmarks of modern society. As a result, human-wildlife interactions are increasingly commonplace, particularly in cities and suburbia, prompting the development of a new discipline known as urban wildlife management. This course will explore the occurrence, adaptations, and management of wildlife in urban and suburban landscapes, focusing on human dimensions, animal damage, zoonoses, control of invasive and introduced species, endangered species recovery, and population dynamics. Students will examine historical and sociopolitical perspectives, review ecological theory, and practical applications for managing wildlife and maintaining biodiversity in increasingly urbanizing environments. Students will also review the current directions in urban wildlife research and explore the use of modern sampling and estimation techniques, such as camera trapping and occupancy estimation, as well as the more traditional methods used on wildlife populations. Prerequisites: 420.611 - Principles and Methods of Ecology, equivalent course, or experience.