Urban Naturalist

A fascinating book by a naturalist on how to become a naturalist, why you should become one, and why there is a need for naturalists to explore the urban environment, and to bring attention to and to protect the wildlife that can be found in such urban environments. Far from being a sterile, lifeless place fit only for humans, urban places can host a mixture of life, some of it relics of the natural environment that existed before being replaced by urban development, but some are opportunists who have taken advantage of what can be found in urban environments. And naturalists are required to observe and document what can be found in such places, often ignored by governments and misunderstood by the people who live in urban areas.

The book can be divided into several sections. The first one looks at the history of naturalists and their role as observers of the natural environment. As the author shows, early naturalists are simply people who observe and document what can be found around them. Charles Darwin was one, and so were the many people who corresponded with him and each other, sharing what they have seen (and their speculations). Societies formed from groups of naturalist, who launched some of the first scientific journals to document their observations and to share them with the public. With time, such societies become more 'professional', forming scientific organisations that centralised scientific research and distancing themselves from now 'amateur' observers. But with the availability of computers, the internet and open access to journals, it is possible for 'citizen scientists' to contribute, making them, once again, part of the scientific process.

The availability of computers, smartphones and other cheap instruments have made documenting and making scientific observations easier for the public. Image and sound recognition AIs can help to identify wildlife that are seen or heard. Widely available DNA sequencing can be used to quickly discover the variety of wildlife in various environments. Community labs have been set up to offer more ways to scientifically make observations, gather data and present them to authorities.

Besides observations, naturalists are also the foundations of natural collections. While many people collect objects, naturalists are more obsessed and document data about the object (date and original location of the object, for example). These collections (some in the thousands) have been passed on or donated to natural history museums, helping to provide valuable data on wildlife. The author also provides tips on making records on your own collections.

Next, the author looks at what kind of urban environments can host wildlife. Urban man-made caves have many similar features to natural ones and unique organisms have been found in drains and tunnels, many migrating from their natural cave environment via connections, accidental or otherwise. The green mats and microbial films often seen on streets and buildings are unobvious and novel environments. Yet, despite being small, they are often found to have great biodiversity when closely examined. Undiscovered species have also been found in urban parks by naturalist who pay attention to such areas.

To the author, these parks and other isolated urban environments are like islands; each are isolated, and can potentially host a number of species unique to the environment and maybe found nowhere else. This brings up the debate known as "Single Large or Several Small": it is better for the environment and biodiversity if these isolated urban islands are joined together (by adding greenery between parks) so there is mixing (and potentially less overall biodiversity), or is it better to keep them isolated, each hosting different species and increasing biodiversity at the cost of isolation?

The author next looks at the impact road can have on the environment. Roadkill is an aspect that people are usually unaware of, but projects to commemorate roadkills can gather attention and make people realise the scale of the problem. Roads also divide up environments (by preventing animals from crossing them) and alter the landscape. Naturalist can help by observing animals reactions to reads and suggesting alterations to minimise the impact of roads.

Some things humans do can cause animals to be caught in an evolutionary trap. Bottles and cans trap and kill animals by enticing animals to enter, only to be unable to escape and die. This attracts other animals who also get caught in the trap. Shiny surfaces (like cars) attract water loving insects because the surfaces reflect polarised light just like water. Insects evolved to be attracted to polarised light to find water, only to become attracted (and trapped) by shiny surfaces.

Plastics and other materials are now so prevalent that some birds now depend on plastics to build nests that may be better than those built with natural materials. Urban naturalist have documented these and other changes in behaviour in birds and other animals.

The urban environment has also caused evolutionary changes in animals that urban naturist have also documented. Lizards, for example, have evolved toes that are better suited for the smooth surfaces of urban environments. The urban heat island effect has made some animals more tolerant of heat. Spiders are now attracted to urban lights to catch more prey, and the prey are evolving to avoid light.

Changes in behaviour have also been observed. Urban animals are more tolerant of human food and humans in general, becoming bolder and more curious. Mosquitoes now prefer human blood and humans, of course, have evolved to become more immune to diseases usually found in urban areas.

In the final section, the author looks at activism for urban environments. Parks in Istanbul, Turkey, have been defended by communities and activist who decry development that would replace the parks with yet more urban construction. A hill in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, has become a hotspot for firefly observations, leading to calls to preserve the area from development. The author asserts that for such activism to conserve urban spaces to be successful requires commitment, the community, curiosity and courage.

In closing, the author calls for more urban development that is friendly to the environment. He cites the attempts to make artificial green walls that can fail. Yet, nature often succeeds in finding footholds in cities by accident. He suggests making walls, ledges and other places easier for plants, mosses, etc. easier to grow and allow nature to take it course, bringing to life green walls that grow naturally and sustainably.