By the first few sentences, this handbook already intrigued me with its opening about the many interesting species there are in New York, unbeknownst to most of the city’s inhabitants. A little further down, I was very surprised to learn that certain species thrive in the city setting. Once I was reeled in, the author presented reasons why preserving biodiversity is so important. This was something I’ve always known, but never knew the specific reasons why, so this passage was very informational. It became even more informational once the author began speaking about why it’s important in New York City, specifically.
The parts of this handbook that I found the most interesting were parts that cited specific examples of biodiversity and other ecological concepts. For example, the picture of the Manhattan schist was very intriguing to me. On top of it being a specific example, I realized I’ve seen that kind of formation in Central Park and never looked at it in the light of ecology. That part of the handbook made me think of something I’ve encountered countless times in a way I never have before. That whole chapter made me think of regular land that I encounter every day in a new way, considering its diversified composition and its history leading up to its current state.
After reading about how amazing New York City is in terms of ecology and biodiversity, reading about all the things we are doing wrong to harm our city’s nature was saddening. I am glad the author presented efforts to be made and being made after this chapter. I feel like unlike the other readings, which have been focused on looking back and seeing how our actions have caused damage to the environment, this reading was more about moving forward from and correcting our mistakes. The habitat profiles were also very interesting, presenting readers with a plethora of species to discover and learn more about.
