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Bird-Friendly Art : A Social-Ecological Evaluation of the Prevention of Bird Collisions with Campus Windows

University of British Columbia. Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability; University of British Columbia. Campus and Community Planning

Collisions with windows are one of the main causes of human-induced bird deaths (Klem et al. 2014). Indeed, University of British Columbia (UBC) Sustainability estimates that more than 10,000 birds are killed on the UBC campus annually. These collisions occur as a result of birds attempting to fly through transparent glass, or mistaking reflections in windows as a part of their environment (Martin 2011). UBC shares its campus with various species of wildlife, including birds. The campus is situated on the Pacific Flyway, the route that migratory birds use during their bi-annual migrations from Alaska to Central and South America (City of Vancouver 2015). Birds provide important ecosystem services, such as pest management, nutrient cycling, and promotion of feelings of well-being in nearby humans. UBC Sustainability has therefore identified the need to promote a campus that is inclusive to non-human organisms. With this in mind, various buildings on UBC’s campus have added art to their windows to prevent bird collisions. However, launching such an initiative requires several significant considerations. The purpose of this project is to identify successful strategies for creating community-engaged window art that reduces bird collisions, and to provide recommendations for how other buildings on campus can similarly be retrofitted. Hummingbird Daycare, a childcare centre located on the south-west side of UBC campus, has been identified by UBC’s SEEDS (Social Ecological Economic Development Studies) Sustainability Program as a hotspot for bird collisions. Therefore, we have tailored recommendations for this particular case. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS Sustainability Program provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student research project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore, readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Sustainability Program representative about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report”

Report

eng

2020-10-29

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/76414

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/