The Accidental Ecosystem

The Accidental Ecosystem
Title The Accidental Ecosystem PDF eBook
Author Peter S. Alagona
Publisher Univ of California Press
Pages 293
Release 2024-01-02
Genre Nature
ISBN 0520397886

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"The Accidental Ecosystem tells the story of how cities across the United States went from having little wildlife to filling, dramatically and unexpectedly, with wild creatures. Today, many of these cities have more large and charismatic wild animals living in them than at any time in at least the past 150 years. Why have so many cities--the most artificial and human-dominated of all Earth's ecosystems--grown rich with wildlife, even as wildlife has declined in most of the rest of the world? And what does this paradox mean for people, wildlife, and nature on our increasingly urban planet? The Accidental Ecosystem is the first book to explain this phenomenon from a deep historical perspective, and its focus includes a broad range of species and cities. Digging into the natural history of cities and unpacking our conception of what it means to be wild, this book provides fascinating context for why animals are thriving more in cities than outside of them. Author Peter Alagona argues that the proliferation of animals in cities is largely the unintended result of human decisions that were made for reasons having little to do with the wild creatures themselves. Considering what it means to live in diverse, multispecies communities and exploring how human and non-human members of communities might thrive together, Alagona goes beyond the tension between those who embrace the surge in urban wildlife and those who think of animals as invasive or as public safety hazards. The Accidental Ecosystem calls on readers to reimagine interspecies coexistence in shared habitats as well as policies that are based on just, humane, and sustainable approaches"--Provided by publisher.

The Accidental Ecosystem

The Accidental Ecosystem
Title The Accidental Ecosystem PDF eBook
Author Peter S. Alagona
Publisher Univ of California Press
Pages 293
Release 2022-04-19
Genre Nature
ISBN 0520386329

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One of Smithsonian Magazine's Favorite Books of 2022 With wildlife thriving in cities, we have the opportunity to create vibrant urban ecosystems that serve both people and animals. The Accidental Ecosystem tells the story of how cities across the United States went from having little wildlife to filling, dramatically and unexpectedly, with wild creatures. Today, many of these cities have more large and charismatic wild animals living in them than at any time in at least the past 150 years. Why have so many cities—the most artificial and human-dominated of all Earth’s ecosystems—grown rich with wildlife, even as wildlife has declined in most of the rest of the world? And what does this paradox mean for people, wildlife, and nature on our increasingly urban planet? The Accidental Ecosystem is the first book to explain this phenomenon from a deep historical perspective, and its focus includes a broad range of species and cities. Cities covered include New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Austin, Miami, Chicago, Seattle, San Diego, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. Digging into the natural history of cities and unpacking our conception of what it means to be wild, this book provides fascinating context for why animals are thriving more in cities than outside of them. Author Peter S. Alagona argues that the proliferation of animals in cities is largely the unintended result of human decisions that were made for reasons having little to do with the wild creatures themselves. Considering what it means to live in diverse, multispecies communities and exploring how human and nonhuman members of communities might thrive together, Alagona goes beyond the tension between those who embrace the surge in urban wildlife and those who think of animals as invasive or as public safety hazards. The Accidental Ecosystem calls on readers to reimagine interspecies coexistence in shared habitats, as well as policies that are based on just, humane, and sustainable approaches.

Accidental Wilderness

Accidental Wilderness
Title Accidental Wilderness PDF eBook
Author Walter H. Kehm
Publisher Aevo Utp
Pages 176
Release 2020-10-15
Genre
ISBN 9781487508340

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Accidental Wilderness showcases how the removal of city rubble and its displacement can result in new urban parklands with significant ecological importance for the health of the city and its residents.

After the Grizzly

After the Grizzly
Title After the Grizzly PDF eBook
Author Peter S. Alagona
Publisher Univ of California Press
Pages 332
Release 2020-02-25
Genre History
ISBN 0520355547

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This book traces the history of threats to species and habitat in California, from the time of the Gold Rush to the present. The author shows how, over the course of more than a century, scientists and conservationists came to view the fates of endangered species as dependent on the ecological conditions and human activities in the places where those species lived. The story begins with the tale of the state's extinct mascot, the California grizzly, and the conservation movements and laws that followed its disappearance. The second half of the book focuses on four high-profile endangered species: the California condor, the desert tortoise, the San Joaquin kit fox, and the Delta smelt. The author offers an account of how Americans developed a civil system in which imperiled species serve as proxies for broader conflicts about the politics of place. The book concludes that the challenge for conservationists in the twenty-first century will be to expand habitat conservation beyond protected wildlands to build more diverse and sustainable landscapes.

Wild by Design

Wild by Design
Title Wild by Design PDF eBook
Author Laura J. Martin
Publisher Harvard University Press
Pages 337
Release 2022-05-17
Genre History
ISBN 0674979427

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Laura J. Martin examines ecological restoration’s long history. Since the early 1900s, restorationists have confronted vexing philosophical questions: Which states of nature should be restored? Who should choose? Is human-designed wilderness really wild? Restoration work leads us to reimagine nature and the nature of environmental justice.

Nature All Around Us

Nature All Around Us
Title Nature All Around Us PDF eBook
Author Beatrix Beisner
Publisher University of Chicago Press
Pages 154
Release 2013
Genre Nature
ISBN 0226922758

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"Nature All Around Us is an unprecendented field guide to the ecology of the urban environment that invites us to look at our towns, cities, and even our backyards through the eyes of an ecologist"--Provided by publisher.

Design for Human Ecosystems

Design for Human Ecosystems
Title Design for Human Ecosystems PDF eBook
Author John Tillman Lyle
Publisher
Pages 296
Release 1999-03
Genre Architecture
ISBN

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The author, an ecological designer, explores methods of designing landscapes which function like natural ecosystems.