Environmental advocates have rightly focused enormous attention on the “existential” crisis of rapid climate change. Left in the shadow of that spotlight is the overlapping but separate global environmental crisis of rapidly declining biodiversity. Observers say that meaningful international action to stop the crash in endangered species and habitats is increasingly urgent now.

That warning comes in conjunction with the start last week of the annual United Nations summit conference on halting and reversing the global decline in biodiversity. For a primer on the current state of this critical issue and the efforts to address it, see this article in Inside Climate News. 

Greenways are already widely recognized and supported for their human recreation and health value. Fewer people think of their importance as urban wildlife habitats and travel corridors. They provide a wider range of possibilities, including making room for wildlife in urban areas. One example of how linking species protection to wider habitat biodiversity efforts highlights how protecting wild cats can save the planet.