PETER S. ALAGONA: THE ACCIDENTAL ECOSYSTEM
ON BIG BLEND RADIO: Peter S. Alagona, Environmental Studies Professor & Author, discusses his latest book, “THE ACCIDENTAL ECOSYSTEM: People and Wildlife in American Cities,” that explores the natural history of cities and chronicles how our relationship with wildlife needs to be redefined. Watch here in the YouTube player or download the podcast on PodBean.
Peregrine falcons nesting on high-rise ledges, cougars prowling in yards, and seals lolling on urban beaches: these are now familiar sights to city-dwellers, and to those who follow them on social media. But as environmental studies professor Peter S. Alagona shows in his new book “THE ACCIDENTAL ECOSYSTEM: People and Wildlife in American Cities,” this relatively new phenomenon of thriving animal life in urban areas is more than an eye-catching curiosity or an example of society encroaching on nature. Instead, it’s a whole new ecosystem, one that shows how animals and humans can live together peacefully, how species can adapt in extremely short time periods, and how we can start to right the ecological sins committed when urban sprawl first began.
THE ACCIDENTAL ECOSYSTEM explores the natural history of cities and chronicles how our relationship with wildlife, which has typically been defined by habitat destruction and “pest control,” needs to be redefined. It’s gradually become apparent that cities can be more hospitable to some wildlife than more “natural” areas, a paradigm-shifting fact for our rapidly urbanizing planet. New York City, for example, which was once far richer in wildlife than celebrated national parks like Yellowstone, is once again becoming a hot spot of biological diversity. Coyotes, which have been slaughtered by the millions yet continue to thrive, are better suited for suburban living than on ranches and farms, and robins can build their nests — marvels of engineering — using discarded gum wrappers and other bits of litter.
Alagona shows that cities — yes, cities — are aiding in a renaissance of animal life, and there is much we can learn from these new ecosystems to create a more humane future for animals and humans alike.
Peter Alagona is a professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of several dozen articles and books, including After the Grizzly: Endangered Species and the Politics of Place in California. Prior to arriving at UCSB, Pete received his PhD at UCLA, and completed fellowships at Harvard and Stanford Universities. More: http://www.peteralagona.com/
