Zoogeography and imperial defence: Tracing the contours of the Nearctic region in the temperate North Atlantic, 1838-1880s

- Traces colonial bio-climatic insecurities in the North Atlantic.
- Illustrates intersections between British imperial defence and zoogeography.
- Highlights the 'zoogeographic region' as a key biogeographical construct of empire.
- Emphasizes the need to denaturalize 'natural' bioregions in conservation science.

This paper focuses on the 'zoogeographic region' and the 'zoogeographical boundary-line' as key biogeographical constructs of empire. More specifically, it investigates how army and navy officers stationed at Halifax and Bermuda on the North America and West Indies Station helped to create an imperial, militarized 'New World' region in the North Atlantic through zoogeography in the British post-emancipation era. The tracing of the boundary-line between the temperate (Nearctic) and tropical (Neotropical) North Atlantic involved designating Bermuda and Halifax as strategic winter and summer 'homes' on the Station, and highlighting the 'natural' connections between the two sites through mobile fauna, ocean currents, and weather systems. Making visible the geographic distribution of migratory animals, the Gulf Stream, and hurricanes - through maps, natural collections, sketches, and travel-writing - provided new ways of seeing and thinking about British imperial defence in the North Atlantic. This paper also considers the role of non-human mobilities in animating these regions.