UCLA

Urban nature parks have the potential to connect urbanites with nature and also to serve as habitat for wildlife. Today over 50% of the world’s population lives in cities so urban nature parks are where people will most often interact with nature. Urban green spaces provide habitat for migratory bird species and serve as linkage habitats between larger open spaces. At the same time ecological literature shows that humans can negatively impact wildlife, from direct trampling of organisms to indirect effects from noise or the mere presence of humans. Park planners need more guidance on how to design nature parks meant for conservation and for people to enjoy biodiversity. More information is needed about how people and wildlife use urban nature parks currently to inform future planning. I studied three former brownfields in Los Angeles that were transformed into urban nature parks. At each park, I studied the primary activities and amenities that people were using. I conducted bird surveys at each park and collected abundance and species data. Finally, I took a closer look at one of the parks to better understand how both people and birds were using particular park features. This study shows that certain park features are highly used by both people and wildlife. For example, having walkways with bushes and trees on both sides yields high use by both people and birds. But other park features have tradeoffs. People heavily use lawns at parks however lawn area is negatively correlated with bird abundance, thus balancing lawn with shrubs and trees is important. Also, shrubs seem to be just as important as trees for birds and this relationship between trees and birds needs more study in southern California urban nature parks.