The Big Apple Brings Native Wildlife Back

In New York City, United States, there is a resurgence of native wildlife thanks to conservation efforts made over the last four decades, and endangered species now thrive in the Big Apple’s protected natural habitats.

“New York City has done a really good job of reclaiming and building postindustrial habitats, and we have incredibly intact wetlands and grasslands,” says Rebecca McMackin, the director of horticulture at Brooklyn Bridge Park. “We need to protect them.”

Parks, rivers, forests, and wetlands have been expanded and cleaned up, more trees, wildflowers, and grasses have been planted, pesticides have been banned and industrial wastelands and landfills have been converted to nature sanctuaries. The city now has 31,396 hectares of green spaces, including parks, wetlands, cemeteries, and forests. Today, there is a large diversity of species across the territory, like exotic insects in Brooklyn, endangered sea turtles in Queens, endangered alewife herring in the Bronx River, but also a coyote in Central Park, foxes in the Bronx, and beavers in Staten Island.