Wednesday, November 6, 2024
More

    Nature-directed stewardship is good for cities and living things

    Date:

    By David Suzuki

    For too long we’ve clung to the Western concept of nature as something outside cities — far away and disconnected from most people’s daily lives.

    Yet people need to spend time in nature because it improves physical and mental health. Without nature in their daily lives, people suffer more from depression and disease, reduced productivity and shorter lives. Children face the cognitive and behavioural consequences of living apart from natural surroundings. Without ecosystems to disperse, store and clean water, cities are saddled with crumbling pipes and sewers that municipal governments can’t afford to maintain and repair. Nature also provides clean air and water and healthy food. Urbanites removed from nature’s distress signals are slow to notice a planet in crisis.

    So how do we invite nature into a city without pushing people out of the way?

    It starts with the premise that both nature and people belong in cities, as intertwined co-creators of the urban landscape. Nature belongs where we are, and we belong in nature. From that premise flows an invitation that enhances cities, restores our connection with nature and rebuilds our relationships with each other.

    I recently had the honour of co-authoring the foreword to a new book, Nature-First Cities: Restoring Relationships with Ecosystems and with Each Other. It promotes “nature-directed stewardship” in urban areas. This concept was developed by renowned ecological planner Herb Hammond and co-authors Cam Brewer and Sean Markey to address the non-urban challenge of protecting ecosystems and the rural communities that depend on them in the face of relentless resource extraction.

    As an alternative to activities such as clearcut logging, nature-directed stewardship focuses on what to protect: ecological integrity, biological diversity, healthy watershed ecosystems, community employment and diverse, stable communities — not on what to use (commercially valuable timber). It shows that by prioritizing ecosystem protection, long-term economic and natural stability follow.

    Nature-directed stewardship has not yet been fully applied to urban areas. In Nature-First Cities, Hammond and his co-authors outline a comprehensive rationale for why we should pursue it. It includes a detailed methodology, supported with case studies from Vancouver and Vancouver Island, with international comparisons.

    Restoration is neither a quick fix nor a primarily human endeavour. Returning ecological integrity to degraded ecosystems in urban areas, or anywhere, is a slow process. Humans can help to reactivate natural processes and sometimes catalyze positive change, but recovery is up to nature. Of course, the more ubiquitous the urban development, the fewer the opportunities for restoration. New developments offer more ecological restoration options, whereas older, established cities impose constraints on restoration of their more thoroughly degraded ecological conditions. In either case, nature-directed stewardship can help.

    Accompanying the commitment to restoration is a commitment to stop doing the things that create the need for it to begin with. To achieve this obvious but often ignored goal, new designs and developments must protect ecological integrity, occur within ecological limits and fit people into ecosystems.

    Nature-directed stewardship in cities starts by understanding the natural character of the ecosystems that existed before the cities. This is contrasted with existing conditions, and the gap in ecological integrity between the two is the restoration target.

    Nature-directed stewardship aims to re-establish natural ecosystem character (composition, structure and function) over an entire watershed.

    Instead of creating a network of primarily existing ecological integrity — as would be the case when applying nature-directed stewardship in forests, grasslands and other landscapes — in urban areas it starts with establishing a network where restoration activities will lead to future ecological integrity.

    As these components emerge, the shape of a restoration network appears. Linking the components at multiple spatial scales will establish and strengthen a restoration network across the watershed. With enough time and effort, this will mature into a protected network of ecosystems with ecological integrity, from small sites to the focal watershed within which the city is located.

    I love cities and I love nature. But we need to reconcile the two by dispelling the lie that humans are separate from nature. The practical outcome is restoration of an urban environment that reinforces our place in nature.

    Nature belongs in cities. For this reason, we need to redesign cities so they include biodiversity and intact ecosystems. More importantly, we need a fundamental shift in our relationship with urban green spaces, one that recognizes we are part of nature.

    David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation.

    Learn more at davidsuzuki.org.

    REFERENCES:

    Improves physical and mental health:

    https://davidsuzuki.org/story/ignorance-of-nature-will-push-us-over-the-edge

    https://www.naturefirstcities.com

    Herb Hammond:

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Please Support SickKids Hospital

    Popular

    More Good Stuff!
    Related

    COLLINGWOOD MUSIC FESTIVAL Inaugural Performance! The Toronto Concert Orchestra

    Event by Collingwood Music Festival; AD, Toronto Concert Orchestra and Daniel Vnukowski Inspired...

    Casey Morrison Shares a Funny and Cute Baby Bunny Video

    Enjoy a smile or a laugh, you deserve it!...

    Paradigm shift needed to address climate change, biodiversity loss

    By David Suzuki Much of the focus in trying to...

    BARD ON THE BAY 2024 – MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

    MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE SYNOPSIS Beatrice and Benedick have...

    Navigating September: How to Set Meaningful Goals for the New Season

    We all feel it - the subtle shift that...

    How Tesla Reinvented The Supercomputer

    Tesla's Dojo supercomputer is a unique new technology in...

    3 Part Harmony Play-shop with Jayden Grahlman

    Wednesday, July 24th, 2024 at 6 PM - 8...

    David Suzuki | High hopes for hemp?

    High hopes for hemp? By David Suzuki Hemp has been promoted...

    Telling Our Stories: Jewish Heritage Month

    Collingwood, ON – In 2018 the federal government introduced...

    2024 Remembrance Day Ceremonies in The Blue Mountains and Town Hall Closure

    The Town of The Blue Mountains joins communities across...

    REEL History Film Fest: Blue Clay | Craigleith Heritage Depot & Mountain Goat Film Company

    REEL History Film Fest: Blue Clay 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆...

    Tapestry: the Carole King Songbook | Meaford Hall

    Saturday, September 14, 2024 7:30 pm - BUY TICKETS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csQX6kYTDCU&t=262s Tapestry:...

    Collingwood Council meets with Community | S.P.A.R.C Event

    A wonderful contingent from the community attended tonight's S.P.A.R.C...

    VIDEO | The Real Reason Dogs STARE at You Is Surprising

    In today's video titled "The Real Reason Dogs STARE...

    Warren & ELSIE’S DAYCARE HALLOWEEN FOOD DRIVE

    Join Warren & Elsie's Daycare Food Drive and make...

    #WOW Tesla FSD Supervised 12.3.4 Reviews

    One of the key features of Tesla FSD Supervised...

    Embracing Simplicity: Emma’s Journey to a Fulfilled Life

    Ally Vitally is an Ai ChatBot 4o in learning...

    The Collingwood Sailing Academy FUNDRAISER | June 15th

    This Saturday the Collingwood Sailing Academy is hosting a...

    Affordable Housing Seed Funding Opportunity | The Town of Collingwood

    Collingwood, ON – The Town of Collingwood is...

    Premiere Regional Event | Stonebridge Wasaga Beach Blues Festival

    Stonebridge Wasaga Beach Blues Festival is an annual music...

    VIDEOS | 2nd Annual Kenny’s Concert with Team GIVE’R 🤘

    It was a picture perfect evening on the shores...

    Where are the WATER REFILL STATIONS in Collingwood

    Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Bring in your reusable water bottle...

    COMING SOON | 167th Annual Great Northern Exhibition

    Join us September 20-22, 2024 for the 167th Annual...

    Mayor’s Office Invites Local Students to be Mayor for a Month | Collingwood

    Collingwood, ON - So you think you can be...

    Plastic is polluting our brains and bodies!

    By David Suzuki Microplastics, soft plastics, burning plastics, plastics in...

    Florida Man | Planet Over Profit

    Ignoring climate crisis won’t make it disappear By David Suzuki Florida...

    County welcomes new Canadians at official Citizenship Ceremony

    Midhurst/September 20, 2024 – Capping off the County’s Week of...

    China’s New World Order – How dependent is the West? | VIDEO

    For years, good relations with China guaranteed the German...

    Calling All Young and Emerging Artists: Art Xpress is Back!

    Collingwood, ON – A must-see presentation - Art Xpress...

    The buzz on wild bees versus honeybees

    By David Suzuki For many people “bees” means “honeybees” —...

    County of Simcoe to launch new medical dispatch triage system

    Midhurst/September 25, 2024 – With the support of the Province...

    Jack de Keyzer | July 17 @ Jazz & Blues Live at the Station

    July 17 – Jack de Keyzer – Juno award-winning...

    SCOUTS FROM NHL, WORLD JR. A CHALLENGE, COLLEGE, CHL HEADED TO ‘BATTLE OF ONTARIO’ IN SMITHS FALLS NOV. 19-20

    Twelve-game All-Star, Prospects tournament pits CCHL against OJHL October 30,...

    Federico Staksrud vs Jack Sock at the Selkirk Red Rock Open Presented by Pickleball Central

    Watch the Men’s Singles Championship match: (1) Federico Staksrud...