<Author>Michael</Author>
<Topic>The Ups and Downs of Population Growth</Topic>
<Source></Source>
<Nationality>USA</Nationality>
In the world, there are now more and more extraordinarily large cities which constantly cause the continuing shrinkage of wildlife, including vegetation, forests, animals, and a balanced eco-system. There are more than fifty cities with more than five million inhabitants and more than 200 cities with one or more million living there.
The American novel and play, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, " indicates the importance that a single growing tree has in such a large metropolis as Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs of New York City, especially since very little wildlife still remained in that city. Fortunately, New York City still does have Central Park, one of the largest urban parks in America, but the City crowds its borders and prevents many larger wild animals from thriving except in a zoo like setting.
As cities grow increasingly outward, all the wildlife that previously lived and grew in the rural countryside now gets pushed farther away, or eliminated, or becomes constrained to smaller and smaller natural sites. Many endangered species are eliminated. Global warming and the depletion of the ozone layer develop because of all of the air, water, and environmental pollution which occur in the city's daily life.
What can be done? Ideally, all big cities would deliberately set aside large areas that will always remain natural preserves for trees, vegetation, and wild life. Many large cities have done so as a part of their city planning and others realize that human and wildlife populations need a proper balance in their cities. This may mean also limiting human usage in such areas. Some cities have developed roof top gardens and have reintroduced trees, vegetation, and small wild animals with sufficient protection to these roof top gardens or natural areas. All of us must give serious attention to the needs to balance city growth and development and to preserving as much wildlife in the range of the cities as possible.
