Wildlife conservation in urban greenways of the mid-southeastern United States

This research addressed wildlife conservation in urban greenways in the mid-southeastern U.S. in two Parts. Wildlife conservation theory and landscape design information were reviewed in Part one to offer guidelines on how to design and manage urban greenways in the mid-southeast for maximum wildlife conservation value. Part two of this thesis assessed the wildlife conservation value in a selection of six existing urban greenway systems in the mid-southeast in comparison to what is often stated or implied in greenway plans concerning the benefits to wildlife that will accrue with urban greenway development. This assessment concentrated on the presence of red fox, grey fox and/or white-tailed deer (termed "umbrella species") as inferential evidence that ecological and spatial parameters at the site were sufficient for a host of other less sensitive species as well. This presence/absence data was determined by a combination of expert knowledge, visual observation and scent station inventory. In addition to presence/absence data, this evaluation also drew from the information presented in Part one to assess the wildlife-friendliness of natural landscape connectivity, greenway width and vegetation management, and adjacent land uses. This information was subsequently analyzed in an attempt to understand which factors in the landscape are most important for predicting the presence of the umbrella species. I found that 18 of the 38 surveyed greenway segments in the six urban greenway systems had presence of red and/or grey fox; six had both fox and white-tailed deer. Greenway segments surrounded by less urban adjacent land uses had much better chances of having umbrella species. However, greenway width and vegetation management also tend to be more wildlife-friendly in greenways in these areas. It appears, therefore, that both adjacent land uses and greenway characteristics work together to promote or limit wildlife conservation value in the surveyed greenways. Wildlife-positive landscape design in surveyed greenway segments is not that common, and purposeful conservation of existing vegetation likewise does not appear to be as frequent or as important for wildlife conservation as fortuitous circumstances of wildlife-positive adjacent land use and incidental preservation of existing natural vegetation in greenway areas. Many areas, in fact, become less wildlife-positive with greenway development because of negative vegetation changes, and the introduction of people and their pets into previously inaccessible lands. In sum, greenway enthusiasts should be more conservative in their statements concerning the wildlife conservation benefits that will accrue as a result of urban greenway establishment.