It’s difficult for me to believe that the Manhattan I know and love used to be an area of beaches, wetlands, and forests. Not to say that I’m questioning the validity of Sanderson and Brown, it’s just that I solely recognize Manhattan as the city that never sleeps, and to see someone talk about how it used to be this untouched land seems bizarre. One of the big reasons that humans and animals differ is that humans are able to adapt their environment to their needs, as opposed to having to adapt themselves to match their environments. It’s never a unexpected to see a population enter untouched grounds and turn it into a bustling destination that no longer resembles anything close to what it used to prior to human interference.
I completely disagree with the idea that “by providing a vivid, ecologically sound, geographically referenced reconstruction of Mannahatta, we can encourage interest in conservation of wild places and wildlife in the city.” I’m sure on some subconscious level, every New Yorker is aware of the fact that the city was not born with a skyscraper on every block. We know that these developments are fairly recent- and for the most part we’re perfectly comfortable with that because we acknowledge that with technological advancements and an increasing city population, we should comfortably resort to further modernizing Manhattan to accommodate everyone. I don’t think that by showing people what Manhattan used to be like, people will all of a sudden begin to care and appreciate the conservation movement.
I acknowledge the growing depreciation of wildlife conservation but I think Miller’s article did a better job of solidifying that it’s an issue. I can’t seem to follow the logic that showing people a before picture of what the city used to look like, will make them care more. People will only care if you can convince them that these changes are relevant and directly impact their lives somehow. Without pointing out some direct, interactive correlation between individuals and the loss of wildlife, people will continue to disregard the issue.
