Skip to content

Southern Fried Science

Over 15 years of ocean science and conservation online

  • Home
  • About SFS
  • Authors
  • Support SFS

Biodiversity Wednesday: The Green Spaces of New York

Posted on April 6, 2011April 5, 2011 By Andrew Thaler
Uncategorized

Biodiversity matters, even in the heart of one of America’s largest cities. New York City is possibly one of the most altered environments in which humans live. Even here, among the towering buildings of the concrete jungle, there are green spaces, and in these green spaces, biodiversity thrives.

The New York City Metropolitan Area span 41,000 square kilometers and has a population of more than 20 million people.  Attempts have been made over the last century to create a network of green spaces throughout the area. During this development, focus on the ecology of these greenspaces was not the focus of urban planners. Despite this oversite, urban green space became havens for ecologic diversity and provide many important ecosystem services, such as providing refuge for threatened species, increasing biodiversity, and creating habitat for endemic flora and fauna. They also provide many social and health benefits to the people that live near or interact with these green spaces.

Among the most prominent green spaces in New York City is Central Park. Ironically, the park’s location, surrounded by concrete and steel, created a barrier to the Dutch Elms Disease which plagued the American Elms. Central Park currently houses one of the largest stands of American Elms in their native range.

The park also serves as a flyway for migratory bird species, including the red-tailed hawk, providing much needed habitat as they travel further north or south. Raccoons, eastern gray squirrels, oppossums, and chipmunk are also native to Central Park. New species are infrequently discovered withing the park’s borders, including a new dwarf centipede described in 2003. Nannarrup hoffmani is still among the smallest centipedes in the world, and is only known to occur in Central Park.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Bluesky (Opens in new window) Bluesky
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on Threads (Opens in new window) Threads
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Mastodon (Opens in new window) Mastodon

Related

Tags: Central Park Nannarrup hoffmani New York City

Post navigation

❮ Previous Post: Winners of the 2011 Flat Grok Contest
Next Post: MSC considering granting sustainable status to a fishery with high shark bycatch ❯

Recent Popular Posts

It's 2025. Why do so many scientific journal articles still display weird when shared on social media?It's 2025. Why do so many scientific journal articles still display weird when shared on social media?May 20, 2025David Shiffman
Shark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine is a fake documentaryShark of Darkness: Wrath of Submarine is a fake documentaryAugust 10, 2014Michelle Jewell
Our favorite sea monsters – Ningen (#4)Our favorite sea monsters – Ningen (#4)September 7, 2010Andrew Thaler
Alberta, Canada is the proud owner of the largest man-made pyramid on the planetAlberta, Canada is the proud owner of the largest man-made pyramid on the planetOctober 16, 2012Andrew Thaler
Deep-sea Mining: It’s science fiction, until it isn’t.Deep-sea Mining: It’s science fiction, until it isn’t.May 14, 2025Andrew Thaler
What is a Sand Shark?What is a Sand Shark?November 12, 2017Chuck Bangley
What can the funniest shark memes on the internetz teach us about ocean science and conservation?What can the funniest shark memes on the internetz teach us about ocean science and conservation?November 8, 2013David Shiffman
A quick and dirty guide to making custom feeds on BlueskyA quick and dirty guide to making custom feeds on BlueskyFebruary 7, 2024Andrew Thaler
Here's what I teach my students about finding jobs in marine biology and conservationHere's what I teach my students about finding jobs in marine biology and conservationApril 10, 2024David Shiffman
I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.I turned my woodshop into a personal solar farm.June 21, 2021Andrew Thaler
Subscribe to our RSS Feed for updates whenever new articles are published.

We recommend Feedly for RSS management. It's like Google Reader, except it still exists.

Southern Fried Science

  • Home
  • About SFS
  • Authors
  • Support SFS


If you enjoy Southern Fried Science, consider contributing to our Patreon campaign.

Copyright © 2025 Southern Fried Science.

Theme: Oceanly Premium by ScriptsTown