Not all small meat eaters have the same attitudes or outlooks on life. This is especially true due the varying biodiversity and population growth. While the numbers of small carnivores in urban areas is very small, there are small carnivore like animals that inhabit urban areas. The growing human population is why we are seeing a lack of smaller carnivores. Just as the problem with other studies, the same conclusion was made in this study, humans are the problem and they are the ones that need to change. 

  The prediction is that, by 2030, urbanization will grow by about 1.2 million km^2 to accommodate growing populations. This prediction shows the desperate need for research and investigation into protecting wildlife despite urbanization. There have been a couple attempts made to get more knowledge on this subject; however, that was before 1970 when there were limited resources available. If research is done now, 50 years later, there is a greater chance to yield better results. Urbanization will not stop because the human population is growing very rapidly, instead, we need to support and help wildlife adapt to these changes.

The methods of this study were slightly shocking to me. Rather than researchers doing the “hard-work” themselves, they used published papers from other studies. They used a total of 643 published articles to establish evidence for the study. The earliest of these studies began in the 1900’s with the most recent being in 2021.  Due to this, there is no exact location where the study took place.

Results of this study appeared to be similar to other similar studies. The researchers in this particular study studied more of a logistical effect of urbanization on wildlife. Given this, studies up to 1991 only 34 of the 643 studies or about 5.3% focused on small carnivores living in urban areas.  This number has risen at an exponential rate and is now 389 out of 643 studies or 60.5%. All of these studies suggested there were dangers to small wildlife with urbanization, but concluded there was no real “fix.”

Streicher, Jarryd P., et al. “Not All Mammalian Small Carnivores Are Equal: A Global Review of the Research Effort in Urban Areas.” BioOne Complete, Southern African Wildlife Management Association, bioone.org/journals/african-journal-of-wildlife-research/volume-53/issue-1/056.053.0072/Not-All-Mammalian-Small-Carnivores-are-Equal–A-Global/10.3957/056.053.0072.full. Accessed 23 Sep. 2024.