Religious Animal Release: An Understudied Pathway for Invasive Species in Urban Stormwater Ponds in Brampton, Ontario

Designed ecosystems are becoming ubiquitous as urban landscapes expand rapidly, providing a suite of ecosystem services that are potentially overlooked or underappreciated. The impact of these new ecosystems on urban biodiversity, particularly their role in facilitating the spread of invasive species, remains poorly understood. Dispersal of invasive species through human-mediated activities poses significant threats to urban ecosystems, causing both economic and environmental harm. This study is the first to assess how behavioural and demographic factors associated with religious release practices influence biological invasions in stormwater management ponds. Religious release practices originating from Buddhism are a common practice globally. As many Buddhists are found to be residing in Brampton, Ontario, this study uses past survey data on fish species and, more specifically, the presence/absence of invasive goldfish (Carassius auratus) across 50 stormwater management ponds. Spatial models in ArcGIS incorporated demographic variables (e.g., Buddhist population density, gender ratio, education level, and total average household income) to visually identify potential invasion hotspots. A logistic regression analysis was employed to model the binary response variable and provide insights into the factors influencing the distribution of goldfish. Negative binomial modelling analyzed the count data for species richness and linked it to the same predictor variables. The findings emphasize the importance of considering socioeconomic patterns in urban planning and environmental management, particularly for water infrastructure in growing urban landscapes. To improve predictive models for post-release events involving religious practices, it is crucial to standardize variables and integrate behavioural responses into process modelling. Techniques from this paper aim to have a wide application in conservation planning for invasive species, offering improvement to management strategies across Ontario.