1. Chapters 14 and 15
Land Chapter 14

2. Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem Services – resources that are produced by natural and artificial ecosystems
Purification of air and water
Preservation of soil and renewal of soil fertility
Regulation of climate
Maintenance of biodiversity
Movement and cycling of nutrients
Detoxification and decomposition of wastes
Aesthetic beauty

3. Primary Land Use Categories
1. Rangeland
2. Forest land
3. Cropland
4. Parks and Preserves
5. Wetlands, mountains, deserts, other
6. Urban land

4. Land Use Planning
Involves making decisions about what land will be used for: shopping malls, residences, sewers, rangeland, recreation Often controversial – people have different needs and opinions about what land should be used for We don’t want some things “in our own backyard”

5. Land Use Planning
Tool for land use planning is the Geographic Information System (GIS) – computerized system for storing, manipulating, and viewing geographic data, display “layers” of info on top of one another

7. Environmental Impact Statement
Report required of government agencies when there is a proposed project or policy that may greatly affect the environment
Required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
Usually involves public input
Includes:
1. Need for the project/action
2. Description of environment at risk
3. Range of alternatives for the proposed action
4. Analysis of environmental impact of each alternative

8. Environmental Impact Statement
Example: Off Road vehicle plan for Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota

9. Land Issues
Issue: rapid urbanization – when the proportion of people living in cities increases at a rapid rate
Two hundred years of urban growth for the Baltimore-Washington region. Red pixels denote urban land use as defined by both the USGS and the Bureau of the Census.

10. Land Issues
Problems of rapid urbanization: 1. insufficient infrastructure, substandard housing 2. urban sprawl – uses land that is at the edge of the city, may have once been used to grow food, people have to commute (uses fuel)

11. 3. Use of marginal land for living

12. An urban area where temperatures
4. Urban heat islands
An urban area where temperatures
are significantly above the surrounding
rural area temps
Atlanta, GA

13. Land Issues Solutions:
Chapters 14 and 15
Land Issues
Solutions:
1. land-use planning that may provide controlled growth
2. open spaces
3. greenbelts
In those countries which have them, development in green belt areas is heavily restricted. The stated objectives of green belt policy are to:
Protect natural or semi natural environments;
Improve air quality within urban areas;
Ensure that urban dwellers have access to countryside, with consequent educational and recreational opportunities; and
Protect the unique character of rural communities which might otherwise be absorbed by expanding suburbs.
The green belt has many benefits for people:
Walking, camping, and biking areas close to the cities and towns.
Habitat for wild plants, animals and wildlife.
Cleaner air and water
Better land use of areas within the bordering cities.
(Wikipedia)
The city of Ottawa, located in the middle of the map, is surrounded by the Ottawa Greenbelt

14. 4. effective mass transit systems
5. urban limit lines – prohibits new urban development outside certain geographic boundaries

15. Land Issues Farming Problems:
Chapters 14 and 15
Land Issues
Farming
Problems:
Farming practices that lead to erosion, degradation of soil, desertification, contamination by chemicals, loss of diversity of crop species
We will study this topic in Chapter 15….

16. Land Issues
Problem with ranching: overgrazing = too many animals eat too much of the plant cover
Results in negative effects:
Compaction of soil
Removes native grass
Allows invasives to grow
Leads to soil erosion by wind and water

17. Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 – actions:
Solutions:
Public Rangelands Improvement Act of 1978 – actions:
* limit herd sizes
* restore natural plant communities
* allow land to remain ungrazed so it can recover
* remove invasive plant species
Thanks, U.S. Government!

18. Land Issues Forestry – wood is a valuable natural resource
Chapters 14 and 15
Land Issues
Forestry – wood is a valuable natural resource
Uses for wood:
* Timber
* Paper
* Cardboard
* Furniture
* Home products
* Sports equipment

19. Problems
Deforestation/Clear-cutting
of trees – destroys entire
ecosystem, leads to soil
erosion

20. Solutions
Selective cutting – removing only the best trees, leaving others to grow
Reforestation – plant trees to replace those harvested (better to have a variety, not a monoculture)

21. Establishment of Protected Areas
There are different classifications for protected areas:
national parks – you will complete a webquest
biosphere reserves – since 1977, now over 500 in 107 countries
wilderness areas –
restrictions on roads
and use

22. Establishment of Protected Areas
national wildlife refuge –
Ex: Cahaba National Wildlife Refuge, AL