Have you seen rats and cockroaches in NYC? You might think that these critters are the only wildlife to call the city home, but look closely and you’ll find signs of many more animals. When you walk along the river, you may get lucky and see a whale. You might even come across coyote, fox, or deer prints in one of the big parks in the Bronx, Brooklyn, or Queens, and the Ramble in Central Park is an amazing bird watching area with 250 different species living there throughout the year.

More cities and cities’ expanding sizes are a huge problem for wildlife. They destroy the animals’ habitats, and the waste and chemicals from the cities pollute remaining ecosystems. This leaves many animals with nowhere to go.

However, some animals adapt to the new circumstances and stay in urban areas, where there is an abundance of food (everything humans throw away) and often no predators (other than cars or other machines).

In 2050, two thirds of all people will live in cities. For wildlife, this is a huge threat, but experts are looking into how to create habitats for animals within cities. Parks, specific plants, special nesting areas, and limits on pollution including light, noise, and chemicals benefit not only wildlife but humans as well.

Our landscapes can’t be restored to the abundant nature the Native Americans lived in before the European settlers came. But figuring out how to keep the biodiversity we still have is crucial for our future in every region.

 

☀ Cool Fact

Street ants love junk food and help clean up our streets. NYC ants have been tracked eating 2,100 pounds of food waste on only two city blocks – that’s as much as 60,000 hot dogs – in just one year.