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📰 The quick summary: New York City’s Broadway Malls are being transformed with native plants, creating vital green corridors that have already attracted over 100 species of wildlife in the heart of Manhattan.
📈 One key stat: The Broadway Malls comprise more than 4 hectares (10 acres) of green space stretching 8 kilometers through Manhattan, providing crucial habitat for 25 million migrating birds annually.
💬 One key quote: “If birds are finding these habitats useful, as our early data suggests, we hope our findings will help support further restoration of the Malls and inspire similar efforts in New York City and beyond,” Partridge said.

1️⃣ The big picture: A series of small parks known as the Broadway Malls are being rewilded in the heart of Manhattan, transforming once-neglected medians into thriving ecosystems. Originally established in the 1850s alongside Central Park, these green spaces fell into disrepair by the 1960s before being revitalized with non-native plants in the 1980s. Now, the Broadway Mall Association is replacing these ornamental species with native plants like goldenrod, columbine, and aster to boost biodiversity. The rewilding effort spans 83 mall segments covering 10 acres along a 5-mile stretch, creating a vital green corridor in America’s most densely populated city.

2️⃣ Why is this good news: The transformation is already yielding impressive ecological benefits, with citizen scientists documenting over 100 species of plants and animals in just a single mall section. Native plantings have attracted numerous pollinators including bees, moths, and butterflies, establishing functioning ecosystems where predator-prey relationships naturally occur. Birds particularly benefit, as 17 species including Baltimore orioles and blackpoll warblers now use these spaces during migration along the Atlantic Flyway. These pocket habitats fill critical gaps in urban green space, demonstrating how even small areas in dense cities can support significant biodiversity when properly restored.

3️⃣ What’s next: The Broadway Mall Association plans to continue transforming the remaining mall sections with native plants. Their successful model could inspire similar urban rewilding efforts throughout New York City and beyond. Continued citizen science monitoring will help track biodiversity gains and measure the project’s long-term ecological impact.

Read the full story here: Mongabay – Broadway Mall rewilding brings native plants and wildlife to New York City