Research overview: land-use planning for carnivore coexistence

Decisions about where and how cities expand profoundly shape whether large and small carnivores can persist alongside people. This overview synthesises research and practice on integrating carnivore needs into land-use planning, including habitat-set-aside, cluster development that preserves open space, edge management, and the protection of corridors before development forecloses them. It examines tools such as connectivity modelling and conservation easements, and the political and economic challenges of proactive planning. Drawing on felid examples from cougars to leopards, the synthesis frames land-use planning as the upstream determinant of coexistence, more powerful than reactive mitigation once landscapes are built out.