The accidental ecosystem : people and wildlife in American cities / Peter S. Alagona.

Main entry:

Alagona, Peter S., author.

Title & Author:

The accidental ecosystem : people and wildlife in American cities / Peter S. Alagona.

Publication:

Oakland, California : University of California Press, [2022]
©2022

Description:

xv, 275 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Notes:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 217-254) and index.
Introduction: Where the wild things are, now -- Hot spots -- The urban barnyard -- Nurturing nature -- Bambi boom -- Room to roam -- Out of the shadows -- Close encounters -- Home to roost -- Hide and seek -- Creature discomforts -- Catch and release -- Damage control -- Fast forward -- Embracing the urban wild -- Coda: Lost and found.

Summary:

"The Accidental Ecosystem tells the story of how cities across the United States went from having little wildlife to filling, dramatically and unexpectedly, with wild creatures. Today, many of these cities have more large and charismatic wild animals living in them than at any time in at least the past 150 years. Why have so many cities--the most artificial and human-dominated of all Earth's ecosystems--grown rich with wildlife, even as wildlife has declined in most of the rest of the world? And what does this paradox mean for people, wildlife, and nature on our increasingly urban planet? The Accidental Ecosystem is the first book to explain this phenomenon from a deep historical perspective, and its focus includes a broad range of species and cities. Digging into the natural history of cities and unpacking our conception of what it means to be wild, this book provides fascinating context for why animals are thriving more in cities than outside of them. Author Peter Alagona argues that the proliferation of animals in cities is largely the unintended result of human decisions that were made for reasons having little to do with the wild creatures themselves. Considering what it means to live in diverse, multispecies communities and exploring how human and non-human members of communities might thrive together, Alagona goes beyond the tension between those who embrace the surge in urban wildlife and those who think of animals as invasive or as public safety hazards. The Accidental Ecosystem calls on readers to reimagine interspecies coexistence in shared habitats as well as policies that are based on just, humane, and sustainable approaches"--Provided by publisher.

ISBN:

9780520386310 (hardcover)
9780520397880 (paperback)
0520397886
0520386310 (hardcover)
(electronic book)
9780520386327
0520386329

Subject:

Urban animals United States History.
Urban ecology (Biology) United States.
Cities and towns Growth.
City planning Environmental aspects.
Faune urbaine États-Unis Histoire.
Écologie urbaine États-Unis.
Villes Croissance.
SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Biology / General.
Urban ecology (Biology)
Urban animals
United States

Form/genre:

History
Sustainable Living.
Ecology.

Added entries:

People and wildlife in American cities

Holdings:

Location: Library main 315296
Call No.: 315296
Copy: 1
Status: Available

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