Download presentation
Presentation is loading. Please wait.
1
Urbanization Urban areas are ones in which people live clustered together They still need stretches of uninhabited land Cities and towns only cover <2% of the earth’s surface
2
Cities Need Country –Urbanites can not live off the land that they occupy Ex: London requires a land area 58 times its size for timber and food alone. –Cities need areas to provide ecosystem services Clean water and area, nutrient cycling and water treatment –Ex:1989 NYC chose to buy pristine forest rather than build a filtration plant –Cities need uninhabited areas for stress relief and recreation –Urbanites like to play outside –Ethical Obligations
3
Thünen’s Plan
4
Cities are Growing
5
Urban Sprawl
7
Deforestation- the clearing and loss of forest Wood is used in building, paper, etc. Land is cleared to be developed and used for agriculture Forests are some of the richest ecosystems on earth and cutting down trees destroys that Timber companies replant with just one species. Greatly reduces biodiversity
8
U.S. Deforestation
9
Types of Timber Harvesting
10
Not Just Our Problem
11
Fragmentation
12
Forest Fires
13
Agriculture
14
Parks and Preserves
15
People have long used parks as places for the public to preserve and enjoy natural settings. –Only in the past 130 years have we begun to think about preserving wild places for the sake of wildlife and scenic beauty Purposes of Parks –Havens for plants and animals –Sacred places for humans
16
Park Problems Islands of nature surrounded by destructive land uses and growing human populations. Have become very crowded –golf courses, laundries, video arcades, bars, grocery stores and other facilities, dune buggies, dirt bikes and off road vehicles Ex: Yellowstone gets 1,000 snowmobiles on a typical winter weekend. Mining and oil interests continue to push for permission to dig and drill in the parks –Inholdings (private lands) within the parks.
17
Biosphere Reserves
Similar presentations
© 2025 SlidePlayer.com. Inc.
All rights reserved.