Cities are not once feared by “desert” scientists in the wilderness

Some species, such as large falcons, have a higher survival rate or greater reproductive success in cities than in rural areas. Some also prefer urban landscapes. A 2017 analysis Of the 529 bird species in general, only 66 were found in urban areas, including not only classic urban birds such as wild pigeons, but also many species from their regions, including whitewashed owls and black grasses and weeds. According to another review, the diverse communities of native bee species continue to exist in cities around the world, and in some cases the population is home to more and more abundant bee populations than to the surrounding rural landscapes. Australian, the researcher recently identified 39 species, trees, shrubs, a turtle, a snail and even orchids that are endangered in the “last chance” that only survive in small parts of the urban habitat.

Over the centuries urbanization has resulted in the wholesale removal and fragmentation of natural vegetation. After the initial attack, a complex mosaic of new habitats formed by native, non-native and invasive plants was created, dominated by buildings, roads and impermeable surfaces and contaminated with pollution.

Ecological cities see them as a range of “filters” that make it difficult for many species to survive in cities, especially those with specific habitat requirements. Rutgers University environmentalist Myla Aronson noted, for example, that eroding plants like blueberries and rhododendrons that need acidic soils are being eradicated from cities. It is a likely cause, he said, that concrete has increased the alkalinity of urban environments.

While urbanization continues to pose a major threat to species and ecosystems, cities have a “fascinatingly diverse” range of unusual habitats that can “provide important habitats or resources for local biodiversity”. he wrote Published in 2018 by scientists at the University of Melbourne Conservation Biology. These range from remnants of indigenous ecosystems such as forests, wetlands and meadows to traditional urban green spaces (parks, backyards and cemeteries) and golf courses, urban farms and community gardens. In addition, as cities invest in green infrastructure to improve environmental damage, wildlife is taking on more and more new places, including green roofs and built-up wetlands, and colonizing old white areas and empty lands. The positive roles that cities play in promoting biodiversity can be “deliberately designed,” they wrote BioScience Article “The fallacy of biological deserts.”

In recent years, ecological cities have developed a new pit in the field of conservation biology. A seminal article published in 2014 examined 110 cities in 110 different biogeographical regions, with complete inventories of the state of living plants and a complete list of 54 birds. According to examination, cities retained most of their original biodiversity. The main author of the article, Aronson and his colleagues, also found, however, that the plants and birds in the cities studied are much smaller, losing 75 and 92 percent of their pre-urban density, respectively.

Another foundation paper published two years later in urban conservation biology, written by Australian scientists. Cities found that they make up 30 per cent of the country’s endangered plants and animals, including Carnaby’s black cockatoo, a large-scale cockatoo that lives only in south-western Australia – scale agriculture has split much of its habitat. In fact, they found that cities had more endangered species per square mile than in areas other than urban areas. “Australian cities are important for the conservation of endangered species,” they wrote.

They have scientists describe various ways in which urban areas can benefit the biodiversity of the region. For example, cities can be a refuge from pressures such as competition or predators from native species in the surrounding landscape. The higher density of prey in cities is associated with the success of several predators in the city, including Cooper’s hawks, great hawks, hawks, and Mississippi kites. Cities also serve as a stopping place for migratory birds to rest and refuel. Large urban parks, such as the Highbanks Park in Columbus, Ohio, provide a critical stop for thrushes, robins, and other migratory singers.