New publication from the Urban Nature team uncovers local and landscape scale influences on urban bird and pollinator occupancy

SFEI's Resilient Landscapes Program is excited to share a new publication in Ecology and Evolution from our Urban Nature team, Patterns in bird and pollinator occupancy and richness in a mosaic of urban office parks across scales and seasons, led by Kelly Iknayan and Sacha Heath at SFEI with a team of co-authors: Scott Terrill (H. T. Harvey & Associates), Daniel Wenny and Yiwei Wang (San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory), Erin Beller (Google Ecology) and former SFEI scientists Stephanie Panlasigui (Rev Renewables) and Erica Spotswood (Second Nature).

Urban biodiversity can thrive with ample nature and resources, but space constraints and mixed-use objectives can limit enhancement potential. Our work shows that even small-scale actions, like increasing canopy cover or reducing paved surfaces on individual properties can have large impacts. Over time, such incremental changes can cumulatively improve conditions for birds and pollinators, particularly benefiting the species least likely to persist in our cities. Importantly, the benefits of local-scale habitat improvements increase when landscape features (like urban streams and estuaries) are protected and restored.