Different social drivers, including perceptions of urban wildlife, explain the ecological resources in residential landscapes

J. Amy Belaire; Lynne M. Westphal; Emily S. Minor

doi:10.1007/s10980-015-0256-7

Treesearch

Different social drivers, including perceptions of urban wildlife, explain the ecological resources in residential landscapes

Formally Refereed

Authors:

J. Amy Belaire, Lynne M. Westphal, Emily S. Minor

Year:

2016

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Northern Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-015-0256-7

Source:

Landscape Ecology. 31(2): 401-413.

Download (PDF 944 KB)

Download (PDF 944 KB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/50478.pdf

Abstract

The conservation value of residential landscapes is becoming increasingly apparent in our urbanizing world. The ecological characteristics of residential areas are largely determined by the decisions of many individual "managers." In these complex socio-ecological systems, it is important to understand the factors that motivate human decision-making. Our first objective was to quantify wildlife resources and management activities in residential landscapes and compare vegetation in front and back yards. Our second objective was to test three hypotheses linked with variation in yards: socioeconomic characteristics, neighborhood design factors, and perceptions of neighborhood birds.

Keywords

Yards, Residential landscapes, Urban birds, Social-ecological systems, Outdoor cat, Environmental behavior

Citation

Belaire, J. Amy; Westphal, Lynne M.; Minor, Emily S. 2016. Different social drivers, including perceptions of urban wildlife, explain the ecological resources in residential landscapes. Landscape Ecology. 31(2): 401-413.