Environmental Problems, Their Causes, and Sustainability 1

places where people live, work, or play. In otherwords, we need to learn how to share the spaces wedominate with other species.How Can We Implement ReconciliationEcology? Observe, Be Creative, and Cooperatewith Your NeighborsSome people are finding creative ways to practice reconciliationecology in their neighborhoods and cities.Practicing reconciliation ecology begins by looking atthe habitats we prefer. Given a choice, most peopleprefer a grassy and fairly open habitat with a few scatteredtrees. We also like water and prefer to live near astream, lake, river, or ocean. We also love flowers.The problem is that most species do not like whatwe like or cannot survive in the habitats we prefer. Nowonder so few of them live with us.So what do we do? Reconciliation ecology goesbeyond efforts to attract birds to backyards. For example,providing a self-sustaining habitat for a butterflyspecies may require 20 or so neighbors to band together.Doing this for an insect-eating bat speciescould help keep down mosquitoes and other pesky insectsin a neighborhood.The safe harbor agreements and voluntary candidateconservation agreements that are part of theEndangered Species Act are examples of reconciliationecology in action. They reward responsible stewardshipby private landowners who take voluntary actionsto help protect endangered or threatened speciesor species that may soon become threatened. For example,people have worked together to help preservebluebirds within human dominated habitats (CaseStudy, below).Another form of restoration ecology involves replacingsome monoculture yards in neighborhoodswith diverse yards using plant species adapted to localclimates that are selected to attract certain species. Thiswould make neighborhoods more biologically diverseand interesting, keep down insect pests, and requireless use of noisy and polluting lawnmowers.Communities could have contests and awards forpeople designing the most biodiverse and speciesfriendlyyards and gardens. Signs could describe thetype of ecosystem being mimicked and the species beingprotected as a way to educate and encourage experimentsby other people.In Berlin, Germany, people have planted gardenson many large rooftops. These can be designed to supporta variety of species by varying the depth and typeof soil and their exposure to sun. Such roofs also saveenergy by providing insulation, help cool cities, andconserve water by reducing evapotranspiration. Reconciliationecology proponents call for a global campaignto use the roofs of the world to help sustain biodiversity.San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is a 410-hectare(1,012-acre) oasis of gardens and trees in the midst of alarge city. It is a good example of reconciliation ecologybecause it was designed and planted by humanswho transformed it from a system of sand dunes.Using Reconciliation Ecology to Protect Bluebirds?Let me tell you astory about bluebirds.Bad news.Populations ofCASE STUDY bluebirds in muchof the easternUnited States are decliningThere are two reasons. One isthat these birds nest in tree holes ofa certain size. Dead and dying treesonce provided plenty of these holes.But today timber companies oftencut down all of the trees, and homeownersmanicure their property byremoving dead and dying trees.A second reason is that two aggressive,abundant, and nonnativebird species—starlings and housesparrows—also like to nest in treeholes and take them away frombluebirds. To make matters worse,starlings eat the blueberries thebluebirds need to survive duringthe winter.Good news. People have come upwith a creative way to help save thebluebird. They have designed nestboxes with holes large enough toaccommodate bluebirds but toosmall for starlings. They also foundthat house sparrows like shallowboxes, so they made the bluebirdboxes deep enough to make themunattractive nesting sites for thesparrows.In 1979, the North AmericanBluebird Society was founded tospread the word and encouragepeople to use bluebird boxes ontheir property and to keep housecats away from nesting bluebirds.Now bluebird numbers are buildingback up.Properly designed nest boxes arealso being used to boost the populationof red-cockaded woodpeckerson Florida’s Elgin Air Force Base.Nest boxes in swamplands havedone the same thing for America’swood ducks.Restoration ecology works! Perhapsyou might want to consider acareer in this exciting new field.Critical ThinkingSee if you can come up with a reconciliationproject to help protectthreatened bird or other species inyour neighborhood or on thegrounds of your school.248 CHAPTER 12 Sustaining Biodiversity: The Species Approach