#445: National History Reading List #23: 'Oak and Ash and Thorn'

Another book that would be good to add to the developing reading list of books for those who are developing curriculum resources for the new GCSE Natural History.

It is a book about the ancient woodlands, as well as the more recent forests of Britain. 

It is written by Peter Fiennes, and focusses on some of the species that have been around for the longest. It would sit nicely with some of the other tree related books I have mentioned before on the blog.

There are plenty of possible locations for field visits here too - and I hope that young people explore woodlands as part of their teaching.

The image shows a useful chapter on the importance of trees in cities. Regular readers will know of the the vital part that trees play in ensuring lower temperatures, and the link with the London National Park City campaign.

#58: Urban jungles

Biodiversity isn't just found in the countryside. There is a great deal of biodiversity in many cities. In fact some may be more biodiverse than the surrounding countryside which may have a monoculture of particular crops.

The designation of London as the world's first National Park City shows that there is plenty of wildlife in cities as well, and this was at the heart of the original campaign - developed by Daniel Raven Ellison.

Here is the Natural History Museum's definition of biodiversity.

This is a term which students may be asked to engage with, and certainly be prepared to define the word itself.

Cities and towns have a smoothing effect on biodiversity, tending to favour generalist species like feral pigeons. Those that require a particular habitat, or are intolerant of disturbance or pollution, often can't survive. This is called biotic homogenization.

Animals and plants that can only live in one small area of land - like unique butterflies or flowers - can go locally extinct if the city's conditions are unfavorable to them.

Image - detail from the London National Park City map of green spaces.

You can obtain your own copy of the map from here, priced at £9.99