Flora and Fauna –
September 2006
New York Metropolitan Region Complex and Rich in Diversity
• Appalachian Highlands, Piedmont, Coastal Plain
• ~3000 Plant Species(~15% US flora)
• 1,500 Miles of Coastline Marine HabitatBird Migration Flyways
• Transition area of northern and southern species
Hartig, 2001
Regional Plan Association
N Black – 1930 Built-up landGray -- 1990 Built-up land
Environmental Regional Planning in New York Metropolitan Region
New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary ProgramH-2-O (Highlands to Ocean) Initiative of Regional Plan Association and Highlands CoalitionWildlife Conservation Society BioscapeProgramNature NetworkNurture New York’s Nature
Fragmented Current Conditions
New York Biosphere Reserve – Harbor Estuary Scenario
Core
Buffer – Watershed
Transition Zone –Resource-shed
1828
Ecosystem Health Impactsof New York Metropolitan Region’s Coastal Wetlands
Growing dominance of less productive Phragmites marshesEvidence of possible sea level rise Difficult to define specific impacts (multiple-stresses on ecosystems)Speed of change onset is criticalRisk to restored (mitigated) marshes
American Sycamore / London Plane – two species very similar –Platanus genus
Ailanthus – Tree of Heaven
American ElmTulip Tree
Ginkgo
Tulip Tree
Disappearing New Yorkers
Hemlock American Chestnut