Multispecies Campus: Participatory development of practices integrating human and wildlife needs in academic spaces
The fragmentation of the natural environment and hunting cause more and more mammals – wild boars, roe deer, foxes, and even beavers, badgers and red deer –adapting to life in the city. Their presence gives rise to conflicts: damage to green spaces, road collisions and safety concerns. So far, cities’ responses have often been ad hoc and based on lethal solutions – which also provokes opposition from some residents. There is currently a lack of a policy for managing human-wildlife conflicts based on scientific evidence and stakeholder input.
The project’s objectives address the current research gap concerning human–wildlife interactions in urban areas. At the same time, they contribute to existing knowledge on conflict species in Polish cities and on the functioning of university campuses, including the JU Campus. The main objectives of the project are:
- to investigate mammalian biodiversity and assess the risk of human–wildlife conflicts in the green spaces of the JU Campus and in nearby Natura 2000 sites using a network of camera traps;
- to develop – based on the Living Lab methodology – a joint, participatory model for the coexistence of humans and wildlife on the JU Campus. This model is intended to help reduce conflicts and identify best practices for using the space in a biodiversity-friendly manner;
- enhancing the Jagiellonian University’s scientific and practical potential by engaging staff and students in research, making open scientific data available, and developing international cooperation.
The research will cover representative habitats within the JU Campus and its surrounding areas, which vary in terms of human presence and activity. This will enable the collection of data on potential interactions between humans and animals, which could provide valuable support for decision-making regarding the management of this area. Data from camera traps will reveal temporal and spatial variations in both human and animal activity, as well as the species and ecological diversity of the mammals found there.
The findings will be used to develop, through a participatory process, recommendations for managing the Campus’s green spaces in a way that promotes the conservation of local biodiversity. These activities will be carried in collaboration with various stakeholders – through expert workshops and events aimed at the local and academic communities. The final outcome will be a report containing a dataset and practical guidelines on assessing the risk of human–animal conflicts, as well as ways to use the information gathered to mitigate them.
The creation and testing of a network of camera traps that will remain operational even after the project has ended, along with activities designed to develop the skills of staff and students, will increase the chances of securing further funding for this area from external sources.
The idea of the Multi-species Campus originated from the OPUS project ‘Unlocking Urban Potential: Promoting Inter-species Justice in Informal Green Spaces’. The research is funded by the flagship project Campus Living Lab Useful Research Hub, implemented as part of the strategic programme Initiative of Excellence at the Jagiellonian University.
CAMERA TRAPS
Between May and September 2026, we will be monitoring the presence of wild animals at selected locations on the Jagiellonian University Campus and in the surrounding areas of District VIII Dębniki. To do it, we are using motion-activated cameras. Images of people are deleted from the devices without undue delay, within two weeks. Should you require the urgent removal of any images capturing individuals, please contact the project manager, Dr Agnieszka Kleszcz-Rusek (email: a.kleszcz.rusek@uj.edu.pl) or the secretariat of the Institute of Environmental Sciences, tel. 12 664 51 22.
Example photos taken as part of the OPUS project „Unlocking Urban Potential: Fostering Multispecies Justice in Informal Green Spaces”:
