A Third, A Third, and A Third
Half of the earth's landmass is agricultural. In the continental U.S, another 45% is urban and suburban sprawl. That leaves about a mere 5% of the land for true wildlife habitat. In Minnesota, over the last 150 years, we have dug out or cut down all of our original native prairies and deciduous forests (practically speaking). The 2nd growth forests are essential for wildlife, but there's just not enough wild spaces left, and about a third of the plants in our nature areas are not native plants, some even invasive and choking out native plants and habitat.Now is the time to turn the tide, and to work with nature, not against it. If we don't start finding ways to share our cities and farms with more wildlife, the biodiversity of our nation will be (and is) imperiled. If every yard, every business, every house of worship, every farm, every construction project could plant even a single native tree, or a pollinator garden, I believe we could achieve a much more balanced "highest and best use" of the land, so that we have approximately 33% each of ag, city, and wilds - and these don't have to be mutually exclusive - with rational and even common sense planning, they can (and must) be mutually beneficial and intermixed.
Nature no longer ends at the edge of a primordial forest (there is no true ancient forest left!). In fact, in a recent study, a professor at the University of Missouri is finding that across the globe more and more cities that plant wildlife and pollinator gardens have more bees in their city than in the rural areas surrounding those cities!
Some are even calling for half of the earth's land and oceans to be reserved for wildlife.
A recent article in the Guardian is a good quick read. The renowned naturalist E.O. Wilson also recommends half at the Half Earth Project.
No matter what ends up happening, whether you act or not, we will each have played a part in this new era of human and animal and plant kind ("the Anthropocene" - the Age of Humans). Meanwhile, let's try to have a little fun facilitating and noticing all the wonders of nature that are all around us right here, right now.
What are the benefits of certifying our neighborhood as wildlife habitat?