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The latest in the New Naturalist series documents the parks and green spaces unique to Britain's cities – and the wildlife that has flourished in these habitats. Not since Richard Fitter's landmark publication in 1945, 'London's Natural History' – volume 3 in the New Naturalist series – has there been a comprehensive guide to urban natural history. Since then there have been major advances in the conservation of nature in our towns and cities, and there is even more to say about how animals and plants have adapted, in varying degrees, to urbanisation. But this is not merely an exploration of natural history within the urban environment – David Goode uses his knowledge of urban ecology to describe the range of habitats and species which exist within urban areas, and shows how our understanding is being applied to encourage a greater variety of nature into towns and cities. He illustrates how an ecological approach can be incorporated within planning and design to create a range of habitats from tiny oases to extensive new urban woodland and wetlands.
Editors' Preface vii
Author's Foreword and Acknowledgements ix
1. The Nature of Towns and Cities 1
Part One: Urban Habitats
2. Encapsulated Countryside: Ancient Woodlands 27
3. Encapsulated Countryside: Meadows, Marshes, Heaths and Hills 45
4. Canals, Cemeteries and Railways 71
5. Post-industrial Habitats and 'Urban Commons' 112
6. A Legacy of New Wetlands 137
7. Parks, Squares and Gardens 157
Part Two: Colonisers and Specialists
8. Birds as New Urban Colonisers 183
9. A Motley Selection of Opportunists 211
10. Badger and Fox 238
11. Pigeons, Sparrows and Swifts 258
Part Three: Urban Nature Conservation
12. A New Philosophy 285
13. The 1980s: Time for Action 302
14. Planning for Nature 326
15. Connecting with Nature 351
16. New Ecological Landscapes 371
References 392
Index of Species 401
General Index 412
"[...] This is a comprehensive and optimistic account of how, with the help of a little planning – or sometimes without it – man and nature coexist in twenty-first century urban Britain. Nature in Towns and Cities may not get reviewed much (New Naturalists never do) but, far from being an academic text, this is an accessibly written book about a subject of interest to us all. Hence it is also an important book and one that deserves to become a classic."
- Peter Marren, British Wildlife 26(2), December 2014
