Man and Nature

There are few places on the planet untouched by man. Every day brings more alarming news: an iceberg the size of Delaware has broken off Antarctica, where global warming is even causing occasional rain in parts of the region rather than snow. Thousands of species, from barn swallows to king cheetahs, are in danger of disappearing from the face of the earth because of what scientists are calling the “sixth mass extinction”: the first five were caused by natural phenomena, but this one is mostly due to pollution, climate change, and the human destruction of habitats.

Yet we humans continue to crave interaction with “nature”—we like sunlight and fresh air; green trees and plants; the songs of birds and crickets; swimming at the beach or hiking in the mountains. Where we usually find access to nature, however—especially if we are urbanites—is in landscapes that have been adapted, planned, and planted by man. My own “backyard” in New York City is Central Park, one of the most glorious designs ever constructed, carefully composed of meadows, rocky outcrops, ponds, lawns, paved pathways, and allées of trees.