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AccessibilityNatural Areas
Bronx River
New York City has over 30,000 acres of parkland, over a third of which are natural areas. The forests, wetlands, and grasslands of New York City serve as sources of biodiversity for the region—providing habitat for wildlife and creating corridors for birds, insects, and other animals to move throughout the broader region. NYC’s natural areas serve critical functions in meeting the City’s sustainability, resilience, and equity goals. They offer exceptional recreational and educational opportunities, filter the air we breathe, provide shade and temperature regulation, help protect properties by absorbing and storing storm and flood waters, and offer respite from the noise and pace of NYC for all residents and visitors.
NYC Parks in Natural Areas
We're working to conserve New York City's natural resources for ecosystem and public health through management, restoration, acquisition, and public engagement using scientifically supported and sustainable approaches.
NYC’s natural areas face significant and pervasive threats. Some threats result from historical land use, climate change, development trends, and broader environmental impacts on our air, soil, and water. With NYC’s dense urban population, natural areas are often threatened by habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation from development. Some development decisions and land management practices are within NYC Parks’ control, so we aim to manage caretaking activities to minimize impacts while providing the best park experience possible to the public.
Programs
Forever Wild
An initiative of NYC Parks to protect and preserve the most ecologically valuable parklands across the five boroughs.
Greenbelt Native Plant Center
A 13-acre greenhouse, nursery, and seed bank complex in Staten Island that grows thousands of native plants for local restoration projects.
Stewardship
NYC Parks hosts volunteers throughout the City all year long, in every landscape. Get involved in caring for nature in NYC Parks by joining a stewardship event near you!
Research and Publications
Natural Resources Group’s team of professionals study NYC’s natural areas to understand conditions, prioritize and adapt our management actions and generally advance the science of natural resource protection. We develop frameworks for management and use a watershed perspective to recommend protection, acquisition, and restoration measures.
Partners
NYC Parks works in partnership with the Natural Areas Conservancy and the NYC Urban Field Station to advance the science and practice of caring for natural areas.
Natural Areas Conservancy
The Natural Areas Conservancy works to conserve over 20,000 acres of green and blue spaces across NYC, including over 12,000 acres of forests, wetlands, and grasslands cared for by NYC Parks.
NYC Urban Field Station
The New York City Urban Field Station (UFS), in partnership with USDA Forest Service and Natural Areas Conservancy, is both a physical place to conduct research (the facility at Fort Totten Park) and a network of scientists, practitioners, and facilities that focus on urban socio-ecological systems and natural resources management.
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