Human influence on wildlife extends beyond habitat alteration. Photo Credit: Snapwire / Pexels
Human activity has long shaped the landscapes wildlife inhabits, often forcing animals to adapt to environments altered by people. New research suggests that animals respond not only to changes in habitat but also to the direct presence of humans, offering important insights for conservation and wildlife management.
Researchers from UC Santa Barbara, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, and Yale University analyzed GPS tracking data from 37 species of mammals and birds alongside cellphone-based human mobility data collected across the United States. Published in Science, the study found that wildlife responses to people vary widely among species and depend on how much a landscape has already been modified by human activity.
According to co-lead author Dr. Ruth Oliver, an assistant professor in UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and Principal Investigator at the Marine Science Institute, understanding wildlife behavior requires accounting for both habitat modification and human presence.
The COVID-19 pandemic provided researchers with a rare opportunity to separate those two factors. As lockdowns changed human movement patterns, scientists compared data from 4,581 individual animals during matching periods in 2019 and 2020. To measure human activity, the team used anonymized cellphone geolocation data at the neighborhood level, making this the first study to directly examine how human presence influences animal movement using this type of information.
Co-lead author Scott Yanco, a research ecologist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, said the temporary availability of cellphone mobility data during the pandemic allowed researchers to quantify human presence in ways that are usually not possible. Because such information is typically held by private companies, opportunities to directly assess its effects on wildlife are rare.
Our results give me some optimism that we can achieve wildlife-coexistence through more nuanced policies that more smartly consider where and when we need to give animals space.
The researchers found that human presence and landscape modification affected both the areas animals occupied and the habitats and resources they relied on. More than half of the species studied were influenced by both factors, with roughly two-thirds of mammal and bird species showing changes in their ranges or environmental niches.
Species responses varied considerably. Many mammals and birds reduced their habitat use when exposed to both human activity and altered landscapes, particularly in less-developed areas. Wolves expanded their ranges in response to increased human presence, while white-tailed deer and sandhill cranes showed contrasting responses.
Oliver said the findings reinforce the importance of species-specific conservation strategies. Because animals have different habitat needs, behaviors, and environmental pressures, effective management approaches must be tailored to individual species rather than relying on broad, one-size-fits-all solutions.
The study is part of the COVID-19 Bio-Logging Initiative, a global collaboration that examined wildlife responses during the pandemic slowdown, or “anthropause.” The effort brought together about 600 partners and more than one billion location records from roughly 13,000 animals worldwide.
The findings demonstrate how combining animal tracking data with measures of human mobility can provide a more complete picture of wildlife behavior. By distinguishing the effects of human infrastructure from the effects of human presence itself, researchers can develop more targeted conservation strategies.
Oliver’s research group is now investigating whether behavioral changes triggered by human pressures affect animal survival and whether those adjustments represent successful adaptation or signs of stress. Building on insights from the COVID-19 pandemic, the work suggests that future conservation efforts may benefit from considering not only how humans change landscapes, but also how our daily movements influence the animals that share those environments.
Adapted from original reporting by Harrison Tasoff, “Data on human and wildlife movement during the pandemic suggest new ways for us to coexist,” The Current, UC Santa Barbara, 2026. Ben Marcus at the Smithsonian contributed to the original reporting.