Picture your community—its busy areas, neighborhoods, parks, and water sources such as lakes or streams. Now imagine your community the year you were born. What animals and plants lived there? Do they still live there? What about 50 or 100 years ago?

A habitat is a place within an ecosystem where a plant or animal lives. Living things have evolved to thrive in their native habitat, with a particular landscape, climate, dominant vegetation, and water source. When a habitat becomes polluted, overtaken by invasive non-native species, broken into small pockets by highways or subdivisions, or degraded by other sources of rapid change, many species will not be able to adapt. Habitat destruction is causing countless plants and animals to drastically decline in number, some to the point of extinction.

Environmental engineers reverse the process of habitat loss by working with biologists, ecologists, conservationists, geologists, and many other kinds of scientists to restore habitat. The work requires a deep knowledge of the ecology and natural history of a particular environment, as well as the ability to think
ahead and plan for future potential threats to a habitat’s well-being.

Your STEM Project:

Plan the restoration of a degraded habitat in your community so that it benefits native plants and animals.