Welcome to Wild Cities!
Our world is becoming more urbanized than ever before. According to UN estimates, 68% of the world population will reside in urban areas by 2050. Cities are becoming increasingly important, with sustainable cities listed within the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, rapid urbanization has inevitably led to severe encroachment into traditionally 'wild' areas, resulting in devastating habitat loss and biodiversity decline.
"By 2050, an estimated 6.3 billion people will inhabit the world’s towns and cities -- an increase of 3.5 billion from 2010."
The sheer ecological force of humanity as an agent for global environmental change has even convinced some researchers to redefine our biosphere using anthromes (anthropogenic biomes). This updated worldview acknowledges the undisputed dominance of human-altered environments on our planet and provides a more holistic lens to examine human-nature interactions in the Anthropocene. By viewing humanity and nature within a composite ecosystem instead of two irreconcilable extremes, we undoubtedly blur the distinction between the urban and the wild.
Indeed, while urbanization has led to devastating impacts on numerous species, biodiversity has also adapted to the urban jungle more often than we thought, in ways that may surprise you and me. Yet, urban wildlife cannot thrive without deliberate and concerted conservation efforts by the cities themselves.
Wild Cities is a journal documenting the challenges and opportunities that world cities face in conserving urban biodiversity and adapting to global environmental problems. Join me as we discover the wild side of the urban jungle and explore innovative ways that cities can become more liveable, sustainable, and wild.
Comentários