New Report — Opportunities For Growth: Nature-Based Jobs in NYC
Opportunities for Growth: Nature-Based Jobs in NYC — A new report from Just Nature NYC, a partnership between the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance and The Nature Conservancy in New York Cities Team.
New York City is synonymous with bustling streets, tall buildings, subways, and miles of paved roads and sidewalks. But believe it or not, tree canopy alone covers more area in the city than buildings — 22% of the landscape. Grasses and shrubs in parks, yards, and community gardens, among other spaces, cover about 16% of the landscape. And when we consider the increasing number of green roofs and the wetlands along our coasts, the amount of green and natural areas prove even more abundant. While natural assets are not evenly or equitably distributed in New York City, at least some form of them exists in every neighborhood. And they work hard by absorbing stormwater and keeping our harbor clean, cooling and cleaning the air, and providing opportunities for recreation and respite. To ensure nature-based solutions thrive and provide maximum benefits, we need to invest in people who can care for, manage, design, and create them.
New York City has many incredibly dedicated people who work and volunteer in the public and private sectors to help the city become more whole, equitable, just, and resilient, through installing and maintaining various forms of nature-based solutions. Nature-based solutions are also supported by those who conduct research, design solutions, and educate the public about their value. However, the City’s needs are beyond volunteer capacity — there are estimated to be over 7 million trees alone in the city. Given the benefits nature provides and the management it requires in cities, it is critical to think of it as infrastructure, and thus deserving of the same workforce investments as water, sewage, and electricity.
To date, there has been little work to understand the system of jobs and careers that support nature in direct ways — nature-based jobs. To address this, we worked with Public Works Partners to do research on this front and share it in a report, Opportunities for Growth: Nature-Based Jobs in NYC. Ultimately, while the data are complex and imperfect, there is a clear need for additional investment in nature-based jobs. Based on our findings, we believe that the path forward should include driving near-term growth of nature-based jobs; increasing job equity, accessibility, and quality; and promoting deeper public appreciation of nature-based solutions. All of these actions will help to improve understanding of nature-based work and move us toward building equitable nature-based solutions across the five boroughs.
As we begin the holidays and the winter season, Just Nature NYC would like to share and uplift our thankfulness for the nature-based solutions across New York City, and the people that care for it. We hope that New Yorkers will reflect on our wonderful urban forest, parks, and coastlines, which provide so many benefits to us throughout the year. In the new year, New York will have fresh local leadership that have the opportunity to demonstrate a commitment to building a more resilient city. We hope that Mayor-Elect Eric Adams, as well as Governor Kathy Hochul and President Biden, will prioritize nature-based solutions and the nature-based jobs that it will take to support them to meet the current and escalating climate and environmental challenges.
Click here or see below to read the full report!
