Georgia is the 8th largest state in terms of population. Additionally, the state has experienced approximately 10% population growth since 2010, with 82% of its population now residing in urban areas. In particular, the 20-county Atlanta area is the 4th fastest growing population in the United States. Atlanta also maintains the highest percent of urban tree canopy in the US, suggesting ample wildlife habitat is available for the species.
Our goal with our WildlifeAtlanta project is to quantify the drivers of human-wildlife conflict, including socio-economic conditions, so that we can develop targeted outreach materials to minimize those issues. We are doing this through a combination of social-science surveys led by Dr. Elizabeth Pienaar’s Human Dimensions Lab, wildlife game cameras to quantify biological diversity, and reports of human-wildlife conflicts recorded by Georgia DNR’s Urban Wildlife Program. We are particularly interested in socio-economic impacts on these conflicts because we know that human-wildlife interactions do not occur uniformly across the urban landscape in part due to variation in neighborhood socioeconomic status (e.g., wealth, race, education) that influences wildlife habitat quality and connectivity (e.g., more city parks, larger green spaces).
Within this general framework, we are using coyotes as a case study species because they check alot of the boxes related to human-wildlife conflicts in urban areas. Coyotes have been highly successful in producing viable populations in nearly all large metropolitan areas across the country. Moreover, the increased interest from the public and media regarding both human reaction (e.g., fear) and treatment (e.g., lethal removal) of coyotes make them an ideal urban wildlife species to focus on. Lastly, they are one of the few urban species that are large enough to wear GPS collars, allowing us critical information about movement behaviors and space use of urban wildlife. Since our study started in 2021, we have collared nearly 50 adult coyotes in the metro-Atlanta area, including 9 with video collars that provide us an up-close look at the daily lives of urban coyotes. Additionally, video collars have allowed us to address one of the primary questions we receive from the public: how much should they be concerned that a coyote may eat their pet? If you would like additional information about our Atlanta project, please see our website: WildlifeAtlanta.org.
Kohl Wildlife Lab 