HumanNature

Mitten unter uns – Wildtiere als Teil städtischer Ökosysteme

Cities provide habitats not only for people but also for a surprisingly wide variety of wildlife. Foxes, hedgehogs, bats, and birds each adapt in their own ways to buildings, transport networks, and green spaces—and are often more common in cities than in the surrounding agricultural landscapes.

At the same time, this coexistence brings new challenges for both animals and humans, for example due to habitat fragmentation, light pollution, or encounters with wildlife in residential areas. The lecture presents current research findings in urban wildlife ecology and illustrates how cities function from the animals’ perspective. Examples from Berlin and other metropolitan regions show when urban habitats can be attractive or problematic for wildlife. It also discusses how municipalities and civil society can contribute to improving human–wildlife coexistence—through new monitoring approaches, wildlife-friendly planning, and participatory networks.

The lectures will take place in person at 7:30 PM in the Grüner Hörsaal, Robert-Mayer-Straße 2.

Behavioral biologist Silke Voigt-Heucke led the Citizen Science department at the Museum für Naturkunde in Berlin for many years and now coordinates the new initiative “Wildtiernah Berlin” at the IZW, which since 2025 has been connecting and strengthening wildlife protection and citizen advisory services in the German capital.

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