A report from the NYC Biodiversity Task Force emphasizes the need for increased funding to protect the city's rich biodiversity. Despite being seen as a concrete jungle, New York supports rare species such as the Monarch Butterfly and the endangered Butternut tree. The Parks Department has been underfunded, receiving only 0.6 percent of the city's budget, jeopardizing natural habitats. Over the past 120 years, significant ecological loss has occurred, with 84 percent of salt marshes and 99 percent of freshwater wetlands disappeared, endangering the flora and fauna reliant on these ecosystems. New York serves as a crucial stopover for migratory species.
"We have a lot of nature here. It's really important to highlight that because when we don't, city officials undermine it," said botanist Marielle Anzelone, lead author of the report.
A chronically underfunded Parks Department-which has received between 0.5 and 0.6 percent of the city's total budget for 30 years-and the lack of a citywide biodiversity protection plan puts the city's natural wonders at risk.
The Big Apple has already lost 84 percent of its salt marshes and 99 percent of its freshwater wetlands and streams over the last 120 years, according to the report, thanks in large part to coastal fill and development.
New York is located along the Atlantic Flyway, a major migratory path that hundreds of species of birds, bats, butterflies, and dragonflies pass through annually, relying on its green spaces and waterways to find shelter as they do.
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