Natural History Wanderings

Restoring Urban Nature: A 21st Century Necessity  September 3, THURSDAY, 7:30pm

Speaker: Jonathan Young Get The Zoom Meeting Link Here

The global human population is increasingly more urban than rural. Traditional urban development notoriously changed the natural landscape in many ways resulting in the reduction and/or loss of the natural environment. Contemporary science has been showing the importance of healthy environments in terms of human benefits, such as clean water and improved mental health. The conservation of nature was traditionally viewed as remote from these urban centers… out of sight and out of mind, with only the privileged few able to visit distant “nature.” Restoring and conserving urban nature is a 21st-century concept intended to bridge the disconnect of people and the natural world, improve quality of life for local residents, and bring conservation action and education to these peoples in the hopes of fostering a more environmentally literate community while instilling a deeper sense of place. This talk will focus on these ideas through the lens of wildlife in San Francisco’s Presidio national park.