Peter Del Tredici (Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University) hält am 22.06.2020 einen öffentlichen Vortrag mit dem Titel “Urban Nature – Human Nature”.
Urban ecosystems are the ultimate manifestation of the dynamic conflict between humans and nature—between our desire for neat, orderly landscapes on the one hand and our fear of messy ecological chaos on the other. This presentation will focus on the plants that grow without cultivation in cities and their remarkable ability to flourish in spite of stressful environmental conditions. Cities—along with the plants and animals they support—can be considered "novel" ecosystems that not only reflect a tumultuous past but also preview of an unpredictable future. The spontaneous vegetation that inhabits our cities is as cosmopolitan as its people and, quite frankly, better adapted to their changing environmental conditions than the native species that once grew there. Like it or not, these novel ecosystems have become the new normal in many urban areas and people need to recognize the contributions they make in terms of making cities more livable and helping clean up the mess we have made of the planet.
