City of Edmonton, U of A join UWIN
The City of Edmonton and the University of Alberta have become the first Canadian partners in the Urban Wildlife Information Network (UWIN), a growing research initiative originally launched by Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. The network, which now spans 12 cities across North America, uses motion-triggered cameras to study how wildlife and humans interact in urban environments.
Edmonton brings notable value to the network, given its rich wildlife diversity and abundance of green space. Researchers have already captured moose, deer, porcupines, and coyotes on camera. In a distinctly Canadian contribution, Edmonton also holds the record for the largest animal spotted across the entire network: a moose.
U of A biologist Colleen Cassady St. Clair noted that the data collected will help develop more effective strategies for human-wildlife coexistence, both locally and across member cities. Early findings from the network are expected to be published soon.
