Right in Your Own Backyard

By Rita Lynn

An article in the new (February/March 2015) National Wildlife magazine highlights a Rutgers University study of biodiversity in cities around the world.  Contrary to the belief that the very nature of an urban environment limits the variety of wildlife to a few of the same species (such as pigeons and rats), this study found that cities support large, varied, and area-specific populations of wildlife.  At the same time, communities in many places are deliberately managing their green spaces to promote biodiversity.