Urban Sprawl and Wildlife Essay

The Mexican gray wolf is a large prey that, in the past, preyed on livestock which contributed to their near extinction by humans. However, the decline in the Mexican wolf lead to an overabundance in plant life which had a direct effect on other wildlife. There are many challenges involved with re-introducing wolves to other stakeholders such as to academics, mangers, ranchers, or landowners. It is not as simple as taking the Mexican wolf from where they are now and placing them in different areas in Arizona, New Mexico, the US, and across the border in Sonora, Mexico. This is a very large area of land that policies would have to cover. The best ways to illustrate that this concept is not as easy as it may seem are best described by nature culture dichotomy, social-ecological systems involving ecosystems with people, and the Anthropocene comprised with the idea of humans as agents of change.

The main problem is that with urbanization people can really stop building our community. One solution is that we can preserve lands to keep them safe. There is also another solution of a bigger issue that may affect all animals, pollution. The problem of pollution is also another factor that affects all animal. There are somethings that people doing to stop this problem. In Pennsylvania the Eastern Spadefoot toads are considered to be a threatened

The United States is full of amazing habitats for numerous animal species. There are many examples of species that have been eliminated from the American landscape for economic benefit of a few individuals. There are many examples of species hunted and in some cases eradicated, but I believe there is no example that has had as many species affected in a single area as the Florida everglades. The number of available bird species in the everglades made it an ideal location for the mass slaughter of birds for their feathers. Now, and in the future, if people wish to preserve natural spaces, we need to understand how we interact with the environment and how our actions can impact these delicate ecosystems.

Although Colorado’s growing population may be beneficial for the economy and social standings in our country, it poses some ecological concerns. According to the Colorado State Demography Office, Colorado’s population has grown by nearly 75% since 1985 (Figure 1). In fact, Larimer County’s population has doubled in that same time period. It has become evident that changes in Colorado’s landscape have been altered due to this population boom. It is within our best interest to evaluate the ecological concerns associated with such anthropogenic disturbances, specifically along the Front Range of Larimer County. By observing and sampling areas where black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) have settled, and where they

Urbanization takes about a new set of difficulties to the environment. These difficulties contain land pollution and air pollution. As new roads and builds are built the capability of soil to engross water is reduced. However, these are not the only issues. As the population growths it begins to invade on the land that is occupied by native species. As a result, bigger predators several be scared off by the growing population throwing off the balance of natural selection. This is the case with Sparksville and the prairie dog population.

In a time where the environment is experiencing significant change, it is important that certain communities and individuals be informed of what is occurring. This said environmental change can be observed in the way the seasons affect organisms and their habitat, which leads to an impact on their predator-prey relationships. This relationship between the California mountain lion, mule deer, and coyote that live at Wind Wolves preserve is being studied, along with their seasons. These animals can live in separate regions, but do have overlapping territories. Three of which being Twin Fawn, Site 1, and Site 2. Their environment can change how a predator hunts or how a often or long a prey appears at a certain location.

In 1912 when the “buck law” went into effect it was set to increase the number of deer as well as limit the abundance of deer to prey on other organisms. This was not as simple as thought, many were illegally killed leaving many newborns to starve during the winter. (Brown, 1956). Hunting soon began to be open during certain date ranges during the season to allow more regulation on hunting of the White tailed deer. (Brown, 1956). These deer prefer matured forests with practically no undergrowth (Brown, 1956) which brings them to the same place, around Alfred, New York. Although it may seem that there are more deer, the regulations help, but the deer don’t reproduce as many, squirrels reproduce 2-4 per litter twice a year (Frankis).

It is early in the morning; the majestic Elk bugles in the distance. The sun is kissing the tops of the peaks with the most beautiful gold, and painting the clouds rose red. The men and women who enjoy the outdoors whether it is hunting or just hiking help make these types of moments possible. Hunting and the ecosystem is tied closely to conservation of land and animals. The articles of “Hunting and the ecosystem” written by the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Department (SDGFP), and “Facts and statistics on wildlife conservation” written by Roger Holmes, director of the Fish and Wildlife, touch on how hunting is important in the environment to keep a good balance in the ecosystem. They also point out how hunters do more than any other

With the increase population growth in Australia, it has resulted in urbanisation along coastal areas that have previously been utilised as agricultural landscapes (Bohnet & Pert 2010). This has significantly affected the livestock grazing industry. From map 2 and map 3, in 1998 the industry was predominately centralised along the coast of Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. The reduction in sheep, lamb, beef and milk cattle numbers would be largely due to its location. As 80%- 90% of Australia’s population lives in an urban setting, the coastline would be dominated by residential uses (Hiller et al. 2013).

In 2015, The Bren School of Environmental Science & Management studied the course of bobcat movement rates in Southern California avocado orchards. As natural habitats become fragmented by human activities, animals must increasingly move through human-dominated systems, particularly agricultural landscapes. Tests were conducted to understand if bobcat movement rates in the orchards were similar to those in natural land covers. The objective was tested by camera traps, which made it capable to understand if Bobcats frequented avocado orchards. However, both sides of the study show that other carnivores inhabit these orchards and could be important for their movement as well. The movement rates may reflect habitat quality or risks that encounter

(2015) show that the annual survival rates of pumas in Southern California (Santa Ana Mountains) were only about 56%. After 13 years of research using genetic and demographic data, the scientists determine that most of the pumas studied, were killed through human causes like vehicle collision, depredation permits, illegal shooting, public safety removals or human caused wildfire. Results like the obtained by Vickers et al. (2015) highlight the importance to assess the human impacts in wildlife populations, and secure the persistence of keystone species in increasingly human dominated landscapes. Pumas in the San Francisco Bay region represent an apparently healthy puma population. However, further development could trigger a similar situation as the documented in Southern

Another effect of urbanization towards wildlife, as stated by Pivo, is habitat fragmentation. This means the creation of isolated patches or islands. The risk of extinction from catastrophic disturbances increases as well as the edge effect. According to the readings, the edge effect affects the natural core interior and larger patches help to reduce this effect. Sarah Friedl who is a biologists say that “when habitats become fragmented, their edges often become more abrupt and transition less smoothly than they would naturally” (Friedl, 2013). Also, repopulation and dispersal are reduced by habitat fragmentation. The leading causes of habitat fragmentation are parking lots, roads and house buildings, which are all created by urbanization.

An emerging issue is that of urban sprawl. While some aspects of urban sprawl has been seen since ancient times, this phenomenon has started gaining the most momentum in the past century, aided by the advancement of technology, especially with the rise of mass produced automobiles, houses and highway systems. Many people unknowingly contribute to this environmental problem, as is the nature of it. Urban sprawl deals with the growth of the suburbs, the area between the urban and rural areas of a city. Most of America’s largest cities and states, in terms of population, are prime examples of urban sprawl. Opponents of urban sprawl usually cite the government as a major cause of sprawl. The government may be a major catalyst of

Irrespective of what finally brings humanity to its knees towns and cities will in time become a magnet for wildlife –wildlife looking for new hunting and breeding grounds. Food will be as scarce for them as it is for you and when you re-appear in their landscape they’ll be looking at you as the new chief’s special.

Have you ever wondered how much wildlife is dying because of urbanization? No, you probably haven 't because although this is a very serious problem, not many people are talking about it. Everyone believes that it is so great that we have all these new, high-tech buildings, but nobody stops to think about how it is affecting the environment. Humans have caused irreparable damage so we do not know what we will be able to salvage for future generations. Although our activities, structures, and technologies improve our quality of life, they broadly influence local ecosystems and the Earth 's supply of natural resources. Recently, there have been many new establishments installed in rich wildlife areas. This strongly impacts the growth and