Bio-Diverse-City

Product: https://www.nps.gov/maps/stories/bio-diverse-city.html

Role: Author & Creative Lead

Client(s): National Park Service, Southern California Research Learning Center

Artform: StoryMap

Collaborators: Dr. Keith Lombardo, Michael Ready

Description:  Southern California is a region unlike any other. From rugged, snow-capped mountains, to dry, arid deserts, to rich, gleaming coastlines – this Mediterranean biome encapsulates one of the most dynamic and ecologically diverse ecosystems on earth. Despite this, a wide array of vulnerabilities persist. Habitat loss, pollution, impacts from invasive species, climate change, and a host of other human-derived stressors, work both individually and in concert, to threaten the distinct flora and fauna that call this place home. As the lines between the wildland-urban interface continue to blur across the region, perhaps one of the greatest threats to inhabitants is that of disconnection. Expanding in both complexity and density, the great metropolis of the southern California bio-diverse-cities encroach on natural areas and restrict movement corridors, further straining the elasticity of ecological resilience. This piece highlights the Southern California Research Learning Center and their efforts to protect these wild and beautiful places.