Urban Sprawl and Wildlife

1277 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Urbanization and Urban growth

The conquering and development of natural land has in the past, been seen as a mark of human civilization. In the United States, our progress is often measured by growth and development, but should this be re-examined? There are many opinions on the subject of urban sprawl and its effects on wildlife, but one thing is for certain, we are expanding. From 1955 to 2005, urban and suburban areas grew by 300%, however, the population only increased by 75% over the same period (Ewing, Kostyack and Chen). According to NatureServe, a non-profit conservation organization, urban sprawl threatens one of every three endangered species in the United States. NatureServe’s analysis states, “rare and endangered species data shows that three-fifths (60 percent) of the nation’s rarest and most imperiled species are found within designated metropolitan areas, with the 35 fastest growing large metropolitan areas home to nearly one-third (29 percent) of these species. (Ewing, Kostyack and Chen) Nevertheless, other groups believe urban sprawl is beneficial to wildlife. The Landscape Analysis Lab at Sewanee: The University of the South in Tennessee argues that suburbs are doing more for the bird populations in Tennessee than the government supported tree plantations. Their data shows more diverse bird populations making suburbs their home. They find the housing developments more suitable since they are likely to have a wide variety of tree and plant species and other structures that provide diverse nesting opportunities, whereas the tree plantations usually only plant one type of tree (Miller). So, the debate continues, are humans encroaching on wildlife habitat and posing a risk to their survival, or do suburban environments with their lush lawns and...

... middle of paper ...

...p these species flourish.

**************

Works Cited

Ewing, R, et al. Endangered by Sprawl: How Runaway Development Threatens America's Wildlife. Washington, D.C.: National Wildlife Federation, Smart Growth America and Nature Serve, January 2005. Report.

Miller, Debra A. "Research Finds Urban Sprawl Not So Bad for Wildlife." Space News From SpaceDaily.Com. Space Daily, 13 Jan. 2007. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. .

Shaw, Jane. "Nature in the Suburbs." Backgrounder No. 1724 (2004). Essay.

Terris, Jutka. "Unwelcome (Human) Neighbors: The Impacts of Sprawl on Wildlife." Essay. August 1999.

Show More
Related

  • Preservation of Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Habitat

    1722 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ever since 1973, when the Endangered Species Act came into being, conservationists and private landowners have been debating over whether to preserve the habitats of many endangered species found in unprotected areas (Ligon et al, 1986). Increasing levels of human development has led to the cutting of old-growth forests and construction of roads and other physical barriers to wildlife. These activities have greatly contributed to the fragmentation of wildlife habitat, which has had detrimental effects on the population structure and survivorship of the affected area’s indigenous species. One species that has been affected by habitat fragmentation is the red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis), a nonmigratory bird with a home range covering most of the southeastern United States (Roise et al, 1990). Habitat fragmentation has led to the loss of genetic variability, nesting sites, and suitable population sizes to support cooperative breeding requirements. These factors have been responsible for the precipitous decline of the red-cockaded woodpecker. Because the red-cockaded woodpecker provides important ecological and economic benefits to both humans and the environment, we should strongly consider enacting a conservation plan for this species.

    Read More

  • The Rise of Social Isolation in America is a Chief Factor in the Proliferation and Continuation of Suburban Sprawl

    1866 Words  | 4 Pages

    People will be more willing and capable of living in denser, more efficient environments only when the underlying culture that sustains sprawl is altered. The sense of the American community needs to be re-established if there is to be any real progress in the battle against sprawl. The REAL problem here then, is that changing the culture of a state, of a nation, is a very long and difficult undertaking…

    Read More

  • The Truth About Invasive Species By Alan Burdick

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    The piece I chose to do my literary analysis on was the article, The Truth About Invasive Species, written by Alan Burdick. The article states that invasive species are all around us, but the area with the most prominent amount is the suburbs of Miami. It goes into detail about how abundant invasive species are in this area. Most people who would see a strange animal in their lawn or area would be bemused, however for the people of Southern Florida, this is a recurring scene. Burdick states that “virtually everyone in the South Florida, including Hardwick, has a neighbor with a backyard menagerie of lucrative critters on hold for resale”. Burdick describes both how an invasive species is introduced into an ecosystem, and the impact the have on other species upon their arrival.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Reshaping Metropolitan America

    1490 Words  | 3 Pages

    Richard C. Nelson, the author, is a professor in the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning and the Planning Degree program at the University of Arizona. He has made substantial contributions in real estate analysis and urban growth trends. Nelson also created the term ‘megapolitan’ which he predicts the United States will have over twenty by 2040. These megapolitans are the result of the reverse sprawl and creating major economic centers, which will make America globally competitive. Nelson’s background ties in to many of his ideas in the book, with the main points focusing on demographic changes, housing trends, more space for future jobs and the benefits of reshaping metropolitan America. Changing demographics support the notion that more people are choosing an urban lifestyle over sprawl, which means a higher preference of

    Read More

  • Urban Sprawl: The American Nightmare

    1568 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many Americans would be shocked to learn that the American Dream may be the cause

    Read More

  • The Ahmanson Ranch Development

    1120 Words  | 3 Pages

    It all started back in 1989 when Home Savings of America announced to build a giant new community consisting of 3,050 homes, two schools, two hotels, two golf courses and 400,000 square feet of commercial and industrial areas on the 5,400-acre Ahmanson Ranch located at the eastern end of Ventura county, adjacent to Los Angeles County. Even though the Ahmanson Ranch has been owned by Home Savings of America since 1963, the nature remained undisturbed all these past years. The ranch has become one of the important habitats for barely surviving native organisms including threatened or endangered species. For this and other important reasons, an organization, Friends of Ahmanson Ranch, was formed to stop the development with the support from other environmental organizations, local legislatures, politicians and public. Almost seven years have passed since the beginning of this issue, but the conflict still remain unsolved. What is interesting about this issue is the diversity in the reason which the Friends of Ahmanson Ranch claims for protecting the Ahmanson Ranch from development. They point out a variety of reason, and they are not necessarily environmental opinion.

    Read More

  • The Salton Sea

    5236 Words  | 11 Pages

    8. Taylor, Dan. 1998. Audubon Society Inspired to Action by Bird Die -offs . 17 Jan. 1998 . E-mail . Available bkus@sunstroke.sdsu.edu

    Read More

  • Water in New Jersey

    1857 Words  | 4 Pages

    Residential, commercial and industrial development is the largest contributors to landscape change in the state of New Jersey. When buildout occurs in one region, development pressure begins in another, virtually insuring the Megalopolis concept of one huge urban corridor stretching between Boston and Washington D.C. Year after year, farmland dwindles, roads become congested, and more residents are left to compete for diminishing natural resources. Desperate measures and newer technologies are incorporated to replace poor planning and lack of vision on behalf of decision-makers caught between competing interests. When the long term health and wellbeing of the established population and the short term gain of a limited number of people compete for vital natural resources there should be no question who's interests should prevail.

    Read More

  • The Affects of Urban Sprawl

    1009 Words  | 3 Pages

    Urban Sprawl can cause bad health conditions such as obesity, which is linked to diabetes and can shorten the life expectancy of a person. 78% of Americans do not meet basic activity level recommendations and there has been a 76% increase in Type II diabetes in adults 30-40 years old since 1990 in America (Collins). In 1962, research statistics showed that the percentage of obesity in America’s population was at 13%. By 1980 it has risen to 15% -- by 1994 to 23% -- and by the year 2000 the obesity progression in America had reached an unprecedented 31% (American Sports Data). Now, over a 20 year period (1970-1990), the 100 largest Urbanized Areas in the United States sprawled out over an additional 14,545 square miles. That was more than 9 million acres of natural habitats, farmland, and other rural space (Key Statistics Of Urban Sprawl). As you can see, as Urban Sprawl increases, so does obesity. With all this land being converted to cities and neighborhoods, the natural environment is being destroyed. Where do all the animals go that used to live in this space? They are just left to die off or live in a more dense population somewhere that has not been developed yet. By cities ...

    Read More

  • The Impact Of Climate Change On Waterfowl

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the past hundred years, the human race has expanded almost everything in the United States of America, such as our agriculture practices, the size of our cities, and the sheer amount of expansion in business and it has affected one group of animals in particular, waterfowl. Due to these advancements, the human race has caused the climate to change, and according to an research by Jennifer Reilly “Climate change is an global problem that affects all species of waterfowl and the wetlands they inhabit” (Reilly 2017). Humans have impacted the life of waterfowl in such extreme levels of magnitude, that humans have almost become part of waterfowls life. Cites have become almost refuges for geese as mentioned in the study titled Survival

    Read More

  • For the Benefit of Many

    1489 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...nses to a Large-Scale Herd Reduction on a Georgia State Park." Natural Areas Journal 27.2 (2007), 161-168.

    Read More

  • SOS 323 Final Exam

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...react to fear within the context of the physical environment (i.e. local neighborhood). The implications of land use controls are explored through conservation policies, environmental injustices, and greenhouse gas emissions. For example, suburbs push for aggressive land-use control in order to increase minimum lot areas, preserve open space and/or reserve extensive tracts of land for residence. Sprawl and the problems that comes along with it are also attached to land use controls. The mechanisms that perpetuate and/or reinforce such “exclusionary residential policies” include codes, covenants, and restrictions (e.g., intensive building codes, anti-tenant zoning, higher tax), enacting the most restrictive land-use controls, home prices and “drive until you qualify,” developers incentive in building spacious subdivisions, and the middle class to upper class sprawl.

    Read More

  • The Effects of Climate Change on Migratory Birds

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    DePalma, Anthony. "A Rising Number of Birds at Risk." The New York Times 01 Dec. 2007, Final ed., Section B sec.: 2. LexisNexis Academic. Web. 26 Apr. 2011.

    Read More

  • Negative Effects of Overpopulation on the Environment

    2004 Words  | 5 Pages

    First of all, overpopulation drastically affects the land. Possibly the most prominent example of the depreciating health and amount of land is the need for developments. Due to the exploding population in the United States, about 1.2 million acres of land every year is being converted to subdivisions, malls, workplaces, roads, parking lots, resorts, and many other developments (“Overpopulation,” Internet). That is a substantial amount of land being overturned to satisfy human desires. To put it in better perspective, between 1982 and 1997, the land mass lost to development is equal to the size of Maine and New Hampshire combined, which is approximately 25 million acres (“Overpopulation,” Internet). While soil is being ruptured for human preference, the number of cities has remarkably modified. In 1975, Mexico City, Tokyo, and New York City were the only cities considered as megacities (“Special,” Internet). In today’s world, that number is considerably small. Now, there are 21 megacities in the world. A megacity is when the population of that city becomes greater than 10 million people (“Special,” Internet). Therefore, the 21 megacities that are currently in the world holds more than 21...

    Read More

  • It’s Time for a Supranational Sustainable Development Authority

    3241 Words  | 7 Pages

    Others are alarmed by these developments.  They peer into the future and see population growth exceeding agricultural capacity, enlarged urban centers that provide neither the infrastructure nor the social support necessary for millions of people to coexist in such little space, increased mass-production of consumer goods leading to worsening pollution problems, and urban sprawl that encroaches upon fragile ecosystems.

    Read More

More about Urban Sprawl and Wildlife

Open Document