From the perspective of the ecosystems of the Midwest, we are already living in a post-apocalyptic world: a landscape transformed by ongoing serial ecocides. Ironically for the “Prairie State”, over 99.99% of Illinois prairies have been destroyed since colonization by bulldozer and plow (less than one-tenths of one percent remain), their biodiversity replaced by monoculture corn, parking lots, and suburban sprawl. The “end of the world” of so many horror films has already happened — something well-known to Indigenous North Americans, who continue to experience the colonial forces of ecocide and genocide working in tandem.
In the face of shifting baselines and general amnesia, it’s important to remember that all of us (humans and non-humans alike) are the survivors of countless world-ending events. Among these survivors are also slivers of relatively intact remnant ecosystems, protected by chance or by human intervention, including:
prairies (grasslands without trees)
oak savannas (grasslands with widely spaced trees)
woodlands and forests (with denser canopy cover)
wetlands (including fens, seeps, bogs and marshes)
These were once connected in a grand mosaic maintained by Indigenous fire regimes, which kept the system in a state of dynamic flux. Now they exist as fragmented “islands” of habitat, cut off from one another and unable to flow and shift. Many of these remnants are on protected public land, and are worth exploring.
THE LOST WORLDS OF MIDWEST ECOSYSTEMS
what was taken from us
In addition to the healthy, “old-growth” remnants, there are many degraded or destroyed ecosystems currently undergoing processes of ecological restoration, where humans are taking action to remove invasive species and reintroduce native plants in acts of ecosystem repair. The “Natural Areas” of Chicago Parks are such places, reclaimed from the endless lawn of “traditional” parklands.