Conservation of Urban Biodiversity
Friday 25 July 2014, 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Rutgers University, Newark Campus
Conservation, management, and restoration of biodiversity in urban (and industrial) areas are more than trying to recreate environments of the countryside. Effective and sustainable practices must be based on knowledge of the groups of organisms that do and do not persist or thrive in urban areas, and the role that habitat quality, connectivity to non-urban areas, and the pool of available species play in the phenomena of urban tolerance and urban sensitivity. Urban biotas respond to bedrock, soils, surface and ground waters, microclimates, chemical pollutants, noise, built structures, and human activities. Cities lack many sensitive species of plants, animals, and other organisms, but also are refuges or even high quality environments for many common and rare species. This workshop will integrate the background of urban ecology from American and European research with new concepts of urban biodiversity developed in northeastern New Jersey, New York City, and other urban environments.
Participants in this workshop will
LEARN which species of organisms occur in urban ecosystems, how to identify their habitats, and why surveys of multiple groups of organisms are needed to inform management decisions.
PARTICIPATE in a short field trip on campus to take a fresh view of urban habitats.
DISCUSS the results of studies of urban biodiversity in the Northeast.
ANALYZE what works and doesn’t work in restoration of urban and industrial areas.
The workshop is designed for biologists, students, university and high school teachers, environmental professionals, NGO staff, regulators, policy-makers, preserve and park managers, restorationists, and others involved with the study or conservation of urban biodiversity in the northeastern U.S.
Instructors: Erik Kiviat, PhD, field biologist and conservation scientist, is a co-founder (1981) and the Executive Director of Hudsonia. Erik began studying urban biodiversity in New York . Erik is coauthor of the Biodiversity Assessment Handbook for New York City and the Biodiversity Assessment Manual for the Hudson River Estuary Corridor, as well as scientific papers and nontechnical articles on urban biota, rare species, environmental weeds, habitat management, and other topics. Kristi MacDonald, PhD, will co-lead the workshop. Kristi conducted her PhD research on birds in urban areas of northeastern New Jersey and has collaborated with Erik on broad-based biodiversity research in the Meadowlands since 2000. Kristi grew up in Jersey City and went to graduate school at Rutgers University after working in the Wildlife Conservation Society North America program and Metropolitan Conservation Alliance. She has also conducted research on deer in the Everglades and an endangered bird in the Seychelles Islands. Kristi and Erik are revising a book manuscript on urban biodiversity and its conservation in the Meadowlands.
Participation is limited and by application only, to ensure that the workshop is offered to conservationists, managers, regulators, policy-makers, and other professionals who can make the best use of the information. Please see the application form, below.
Fee: $25 per person, payable in advance (free for students – but application necessary!). Fee includes lunch and course materials. This workshop is underwritten by an education grant from the Hudson River Improvement Fund. It is co-sponsored by the Rutgers-Newark Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences.
Directions, parking information, and readings will be sent once payment is received.
Please send applications or questions to: Erik Kiviat kiviat[at]bard[dot]edu
