WildEdmonton, a collaborative initiative between the City of Edmonton and the University of Alberta Edmonton Urban Coyote Project (EUCP), aims to monitor wildlife presence and abundance in Edmonton’s open space network. Since its inception in 2018, the project has worked towards informing sustainable city design by integrating wildlife needs into land use decision-making processes.
The project’s mission is to monitor wildlife use across the city using wildlife cameras, ultimately supporting ecological network planning for coexistence between people and wildlife. WildEdmonton provides essential services by fostering collaboration across sectors and applying research findings to conservation management and urban planning.
The core team members have distinct goals and methods. The City of Edmonton focuses on protecting and enhancing natural areas within an ecological network, while the EUCP addresses human-coyote conflicts to promote coexistence between people and wildlife.
WildEdmonton primarily serves Edmonton residents but has a broader reach due to its rigorous study design, international partnerships, and scientific contributions. By monitoring 130 wildlife camera sites over four years and analyzing over two million images, the project has identified wildlife patterns, including new species to Edmonton, and informed development decisions and ecological indices.
The project’s environmental impact includes mitigating habitat loss and fragmentation, understanding urban wildlife connectivity, and influencing urban wildlife conservation locally and internationally.