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Lesson 3 - Urban In partnership with

Learning Objectives Gain an understanding of how cities and towns affect our environment Identify different types of habitats and the importance of wildlife corridors. Explore how cities affect wildlife and what can be done to protect ecosystems In partnership with

Learning Outcomes Identify the key impacts cities have on the natural world Understand how habitat corridors can connect wildlife Understand what you can do to support nature and wildlife where you live Apply these concepts to where you live In partnership with

London at night In partnership with In partnership with http://www.laforetvisuals.com – Vincent Laforet In partnership with In partnership with

Urban Living Cities are developing all the time. 91% of the UK’s population will live in cities by 2020 What are the positive and negative effects of this? Activity Notes: Ask students what they notice about the changes and what they think the future London will look like. Ask students about cities and their environmental impacts exploring the following themes Greenhouse gases Waste Water pollution Heat Noise Use the following URL for a more detailed look at the world’s increasing urbanization https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL?end=2016&locations=GB&start=1960&view=chart © Museum of London In partnership with

Urban Microclimate How do you think the climate in cities compares with that in rural locations? For each, suggest whether it is more, less or the same. Feature of the climate How cities compare with rural locations: more/less/same Sunshine duration Annual mean temperature Winter maximum temperatures Occurrence of frosts Relative humidity in winter Relative humidity in summer Total precipitation Number of rain days Number of days with snow Cloud cover Occurrence of fog in winter Activity Notes: See how many reasons students can come up with for why urban areas create heat islands Information input: The formation of a heat island is the result of the interaction of the following factors: the release (and reflection) of heat from industrial and domestic buildings; the absorption by concrete, brick and tarmac of heat during the day, and its release into the lower atmosphere at night; the reflection of solar radiation by glass buildings and windows. The central business districts of some urban areas can therefore have quite high albedo rates (proportion of light reflected); the emission of hygroscopic pollutants from cars and heavy industry act as condensation nuclei, leading to the formation of cloud and smog, which can trap radiation. In some cases, a pollution dome can also build up; recent research on London’s heat island has shown that the pollution domes can also filter incoming solar radiation, thereby reducing the build up of heat during the day. At night, the dome may trap some of the heat from the day, so these domes might be reducing the sharp differences between urban and rural areas; the relative absence of water in urban areas means that less energy is used for evapotranspiration and more is available to heat the lower atmosphere; the absence of strong winds to both disperse the heat and bring in cooler air from rural and suburban areas. Indeed, urban heat islands are often most clearly defined on calm summer evenings, often under blocking anticyclones.            In partnership with

Urban Microclimate The table below summarises some of the differences in various weather elements between urban and rural. Sunshine duration 5 to 15% less Annual mean temperature 0.5-1.0 °C higher Winter maximum temperatures 1 to 2 °C higher Occurrence of frosts 2 to 3 weeks fewer Relative humidity in winter 2% lower Relative humidity in summer 8 to 10% lower Total precipitation 5 to 10% more Number of rain days 10% more Number of days with snow 14% fewer Cloud cover Occurrence of fog in winter 100% more Activity Notes: See how many reasons students can come up with for why urban areas create heat islands Information input: The formation of a heat island is the result of the interaction of the following factors: the release (and reflection) of heat from industrial and domestic buildings; the absorption by concrete, brick and tarmac of heat during the day, and its release into the lower atmosphere at night; the reflection of solar radiation by glass buildings and windows. The central business districts of some urban areas can therefore have quite high albedo rates (proportion of light reflected); the emission of hygroscopic pollutants from cars and heavy industry act as condensation nuclei, leading to the formation of cloud and smog, which can trap radiation. In some cases, a pollution dome can also build up; recent research on London’s heat island has shown that the pollution domes can also filter incoming solar radiation, thereby reducing the build up of heat during the day. At night, the dome may trap some of the heat from the day, so these domes might be reducing the sharp differences between urban and rural areas; the relative absence of water in urban areas means that less energy is used for evapotranspiration and more is available to heat the lower atmosphere; the absence of strong winds to both disperse the heat and bring in cooler air from rural and suburban areas. Indeed, urban heat islands are often most clearly defined on calm summer evenings, often under blocking anticyclones.            In partnership with

Urban Immigrants Activity Notes: Not all species do badly in the urban environment, which of these species are flourishing in our towns and cities? Are all of them native to the UK? Can students name any other wild species they see in towns and cities? Why do they think some succeed where others don’t? Information Notes: Hint – link back to the environmental impacts discussed earlier, how do these benefit certain species? Greenhouse gases Waste Water pollution Heat Noise Available green space https://www.flickr.com/photos/7611480@N05 – Scats21 https://www.flickr.com/photos/hisgett/6086084921/ - Tony Hisgett Identify the key impacts cities have on the natural world In partnership with

Wildlife Corridors Wildlife corridors allow the natural world to move from one area to another when resources such as food become scarce. This means they are less likely to become extinct. Activity Notes: Explain the following wildlife corridors Talk about the benefits these may hold for wildlife and the local community i.e. conservation, bio-diversity In partnership with

Field margins Field margins are the space between the crop and the field boundary, providing a vital habitat for grasses and wildflowers, many of which have nearly been wiped out by intensive farming practices. These in turn support birds, animals and insects, which feed not only on the nectar and seeds, but on pest species like aphids, reducing the need for pesticides. It’s estimated that there are 400,000 km of cereal field edges in the UK. If all these boundaries included a six-meter field margin, over 210,000 hectares of land could be available for farmland wildlife. Arable field margins also buffer ditches, rivers and streams from agricultural activity and pollution, and provide valuable wildlife corridors, allowing wildlife to move freely between habitats. Activity Notes: Field Margins What are they? Between the crop and the field boundary, the ‘field margin’ is not just a wasted edge where nothing really grows; in fact, it provides a vital habitat for some of our much-loved species, from grasses and wildflowers, to the birds and insects that feast on their plentiful seeds and nectar. Where field edges are less productive, some farmers deliberately leave arable field margins. They can take many forms including uncropped wildlife strips; ‘conservation headlands’ which form the outer margin of the crop, but don’t get so many pesticides; and stubble or grassy margins. Where are they found? Field margins can be found throughout the UK’s lowlands in both arable and mixed farmland. Cereals account for around 51% of our arable land, and it’s estimated that there are 400,000 km of cereal field edges in the UK. If all these boundaries included a six-metre field margin, over 210,000 hectares of land could be sensitively managed for farmland wildlife. Why are they important? Many farmland species have declined over recent years due to agricultural intensification, so arable field margins provide vital havens for these creatures. In the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP), cereal field margins, in particular, are a priority habitat. More than 150 plants are characteristic of arable land; wildflowers such as shepherd’s needle, corncockle, broadleaved spurge, cornflower, corn buttercup and pheasant’s-eye were once considered as weeds, but have been almost wiped out in the wild. In turn, wildflowers are important sources of nectar and pollen for bumblebees, wasps and butterflies. Grasshoppers and beetles take cover in the grasses, along with many beneficial predators, such as spiders and ladybirds, which feed on crop pests like aphids. Field margins can provide refuges for brown hares and small mammals, such as field voles, which attract barn owls and kestrels on the look-out for a tasty meal. They also offer nesting and feeding sites for birds such as corn bunting, skylark, tree sparrow and grey partridge, all of which are identified as priority species in the UK BAP. Arable field margins also buffer ditches, rivers and streams from agricultural activity and pollution, and provide valuable wildlife corridors, allowing wildlife to move freely between habitats. Are they threatened? Following the Second World War, we became much better at exploiting all of our farmland, producing monoculture crops, and removing field boundaries and margins. Further threats to arable field margins include the use of herbicides and pesticides to intensify crop production; increased winter-cropping causing the loss of winter stubble; a reduction in crop rotation including fallow land; and the removal of field boundaries, such as hedges. Most recently, changes in agricultural policy have caused the loss of set-aside land (where farmers received government payments for leaving land fallow) which is likely to have a big impact on farmland wildlife in the future ifetrusts.org/wildlife/habitats/arable-field-margins www.wildlifetrusts.org/climate-change In partnership with

Greenbridges Across the A556 is UK’s first Greenbridge. It provides safe passage for badgers, voles and other small mammals, insects and birds. The bridge links two habitats separated by the new £192 million dual carriageway between the M56 & M6. The road is the most environmentally-friendly road Highways England have ever built. Constructing the bridge cost about £1.15 million. Activity Notes: Ask students if they think the bridge is good value for money? How can you take into account the natural habitat you are changing when building infrastructure? https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a556-green-bridge-is-winter-wonderland In partnership with

Green Spaces in cities Edinburgh Liverpool Green space in cities differs greatly depending on the city. What pressures do you think are put on urban green space? Edinburgh Activity Notes: Find out how green your city is https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2017/jan/05/green-space-uk-largest-cities-mapped Group-work and Discussion: Encourage students to think about and share the aspects of cities which they feel might be the hardest to manage for those “in charge”. Extension Question: Which city would you most like to live in when you are older and why? Are these reasons based on personal experiences or their perceptions? Liverpool Images - @esri.com In partnership with

How could you improve the habitat for wildlife where you live? Create a plan of how you could create green spaces where you live Write a report about your plan, considering the impact wildlife corridors could have in their community and how this could be beneficial. In partnership with