Impact of Human Activity on Biodiversity in Julia Buczynski, Katherine Chiu, Siena Edwards, Sherry Oommen

Macaulay Seminar 3 Professor Cornelisse Introduction Our objective was to analyze the different types and population counts of species in Central Park and determine to what extent different human activity influences levels of species diversity throughout the park. Central Park was created entirely as a compromise between man and nature in the midst of the one of the most populated cities in the From left to right: 1. Pond and 2. The Ravine and world. Though created for man, with its ponds and multitude of trees North Woods and acres of land it has become home for many of the city’s animals. By studying its infrastructure and layout, we may understand just how Results much biodiversity can be affected by human activity. Entrance Number of Visits Number of Question & Hypothesis Annually Species 3.5 million 14 Our question was is there a certain threshold that must be met or Figure 1: Table 2: Scatter Plot demonstrating relationship between human presence certain type of structures that must be built to have a significant Grand Army Plaza 3.2 million 4 Number of and species diversity - measured by database’s recorded number of annual effect on biodiversity? Our hypothesis was that landmarks and Visits visits at each landmark/infrastructure and Bioblitz’s observations of species Frederick Douglass 470,000 11 entrances with greater human interaction would reveal to have Annually founds at those locations. Circle and less species diversity and species in general. Number of Circle 370,000 7 Conclusion Species at Analysis of Bioblitz data from 2013 showed that there is no clear Methods th Eight of W 86 Street 680,000 2 correlation between human foot traffic and levels of biodiversity in Central - Central Park User Survey (2011), Figure 4.3: map of Central Park Central Park in regards to activity occurring at the entrance (Table 1). However, entrances and number of annual visits through each entrance 700,000 8 Park’s Entrances amongst infrastructures that are visited often, with higher degrees of - 8 entrances examined: Columbus Circle, Grand Army Plaza, Frederick E 980,000 No species human activity (Figure 2) there is less biodiversity (Table 2). Douglass Circle, , W , Lenox Avenue, 6th Avenue 2.0 million No species E 85th Street, and 6th Avenue (4 entrances at corners, remaining 4 on Possible Limitations sides of park) - Bioblitz data recorded entirely by students using crude tools -Chosen for visibility on for Earth application and variability - Relying entirely on Google Earth for dividing plot areas of examination - Official Report on Public Use of Central Park - source of data on annual in total “visits annually”. number of visits and visits per acre - 4 Infrastructures: Pond and Wollman Rink, Strawberry Fields, North - Data says a lot of human activity present by entrances and Woods and The Ravine- chosen for variability in total “visits annually” infrastructures such as the Drive and Bridle Trail - Analysis of foot traffic impacts on biodiversity in Central Park with - Admits only because people enter through park by these structures 2013 Bioblitz data and entrances → forced to pass by these sites to get to their - Used Google Earth to map out entrances destination, which is usually further towards interior of park - More people present in inner most areas of the park than actually recorded - Explains why landmarks had a “more human activity-less biodiversity correlation” instead of the entrances because people spend more time Table 1: Scatter plot comparing each of the eight of Central Park’s at landmarks, leaving a larger eco-footprint entrances’ recorded number of “visits annually” to the number of species - Can explain why Bioblitz data is partly skewed because students found in each area. probably began making and recording observations upon entering the Infrastructure Number of Number of Number of park instead of going towards interior of the park and collecting data Visits Visits Per Species and beginning data recording there Annually Acre Figure 2: - May explain why we have more data on species located at the edges Number of of Central Park and minimal data on species closer to interior of th 59 Street Pond 5,537,000 186,000 17 Visits Annually Central Park and Wollman Rink and by Acre and Number of Species at References Strawberry Fields 2,491,000 424,000 13 particular http://www.centralparknyc.org/assets/pdfs/surveyreport_april2011.pdf // Macaulay BioBlitz 2013 landmark/ http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/795/files/ecologicalimpactsrecreationalusers.pdf North Wood 939,000 45,000 25 (total) infrastructures http://www.cifor.org/library/2630/effects-of-human-trampling-on-populations-of-soil-fauna-in-the- Left to right: 1.Grand Army Plaza 2. 86th St. 3. Columbus Circle 4. Lenox The Ravine 508,000 26,000 at Central Park mcmurdo-dry-valleys-antarctica/ Ave Science Forward: Urban Biodiversity Conservation in the Anthropocene http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/cornelisse14/