We spent a lot of time in class focusing on the biodiversity that once was, deciding that we cannot undue urbanization, and we were left with the question of what do we now? The Biodiversity Assessment Handbook for New York City implicitly provides us with an answer. While buildings have replaced much of New York City’s rich ecological diversity, there remains a surprising amount of rare species. NYC’s landscape is actually important to many organisms’ survival because of its convergence of three ecological habitats. Most people are unaware of the variety of animals that live amongst us New Yorkers, such as the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), piping plover (Charadrius melodus), little bluet damselfly (Enallagma laterale), beavers (Castor canadensis), river otters (Lontra canadensis), the dwarf centipede (Nannarrup hoffmani), or the Gotham bee (Lasioglossum gotham) (1)! Also who knew that 3.8 million bird and other wildlife watchers visit New York annually (6)? NYC’s urban biodiversity is especially important to preserve, because according to the article it is the only the biodiversity that most people ever come into contact with. Therefore, appreciation for general, global biodiversity is dependent on people’s relationship with urban environments (3).
With that being said, we should not let past wrongs (or even present ones) make us feel helpless or oblivious to our surroundings and perpetuate the situation. It’s time to focus our attention on what exists! Much is right in front of eyes, but we do not bother to look in their direction. “As just one example, Glassberg (1999) related the following: ‘On one September day I observed about 6,000 Monarchs, 4,000 Red Admirals, 4,000 Question Marks, and 2,000 Mourning Cloaks flying south through a 10-foot wide path adjacent to a beach in New York City’”(9). It’s September now, only 16 years later, and does the general public ever notice birds? Perhaps NYC tourism should brand biodiversity as a more popular tourist activity, which could generate real excitement. Not to mention, it would be profitable, as in 2006 bird and other wildlife watchers contributed “an estimated $1.6 billion to the state economy, including $250 million in state sales tax revenue, and support thousands of jobs across the state, including New York City” (6).
However, it seems that giving “too much” attention to nature can also be detrimental. NYC’s 52,000 acres of greenspace is at risk because of park visitors’ overuse. When many people step on sensitive soil sites, “seeds of certain plants cannot germinate and become established, and insects and other animals are unable to burrow into the soil for nesting or winter protection” (19). Additionally, humans and dogs’ noise and movement can disturb animals that require tranquil habitats. There is clearly a thin line between being the environment’s lover, protector, and enemy!
