Where results make sense

About us   |   Why use us?   |   Reviews   |   PR   |   Contact us

PBS - Bill Moyers Reports: Earth on Edge - Urban Ecosystems An urban ecosystem is simply the community of plants, animals, and humans that inhabit the urban environment. Urban ecosystems are generally highly disturbed systems, subject to rapid changes in soil and plant cover, as well as temperature and water availability. In some urban areas, city managers and civic groups have begun to seriously inventory the biological wealth of their urban green spaces and to monitor how they are changing over time. www.pbs.org /earthonedge/ecosystems/urban1.html   (2100 words)

SAF - Policy and Press: Position Statements - Urban Forestry: The Position of the Society of American Foresters Urban and community forestry play an important role in enhancing urban environmental quality by providing a multitude of benefits such as enhanced aesthetics; improved air, water and soil quality; increased recreational opportunities; improved physical and mental health; and community strengthening and pride. Urban and community forests are made up of trees and associated vegetation within the environs of populated places — from the smallest villages to the largest cities. Urban trees will continue to be increasingly important for their energy-saving value as fossil fuels become more scarce and more expensive in the future and as the impacts of global climate change occur. www.safnet.org /policyandpress/psst/UrbanComm.cfm   (1922 words)

Urban Forests Effects on Environmental Quality Nowak, D.J. Urban forest structure and the functions of hydrocarbon emissions and carbon storage. Urban UV measurements: rationale for the establishment of long-term monitoring in the Baltimore Ecosystem Study. Urban forest of Dayton, Ohio: A preliminary assessment. www.fs.fed.us /ne/syracuse/Pubs/pubs.htm   (8907 words)

Urban Wildlife Because half of world’s human population exists in urban communities (1), a better understanding of the wildlife communities that are closely associated with human society can improve the general life of the average citizen. Ecosystems in urban areas are an essential component of a city. The urban woodlands are a significant component in the lives of human society living near the borders. www.stkate.edu /plantguide/urban.htm   (1571 words)

LESSON PLANS: 1235 Urban Studies Lessons reviewed by Teachers Urban Environmental Education - ECOnauts in the City - Students are ECOnauts (students who role play as investigating natural and social scientists) and engaged in a study of the natural and 'built' environs which constitute the urban life space. Urban Ecosystems 3: Cities as Population Centers - Students discover that throughout history cities have been centers of population but that human exploitation of fossil fuels was key to the growth of large cities worldwide. Urban Ecosystems 5: In Defense Of Cities - Students explain that while cities have unattractive features, the density of human life enables energy efficiency, mass transit, recycling, and other benefits which are difficult or impossible in rural areas. www.lessonplanet.com /search/Geography/Urban_Studies   (447 words)

PBS - Bill Moyers Reports: Earth on Edge - Ecosystems Ecosystems are communities of interacting organisms and the physical environment in which they live. Urban ecosystems - Even cities and suburbs are ecosystems, where a greater concentration of economic and educational opportunities are offered and where nearly half of the world's populations live. Ecosystems also purify our air and water, help to control our climate, and produce soil-services that can't be replaced at any reasonable cost. www.pbs.org /earthonedge/ecosystems   (467 words)

About Urban Ecology   (Site not responding. Last check: ) Urban ecologists study the trees, rivers, wildlife and open spaces found in cities to understand the extent of those resources and the way they are affected by pollution, over-development and other pressures. Urban ecology research is helping people see their city in a new way -- as part of a living ecosystem with valuable resources that promote better health and quality of life. Urban watersheds, parks, and recreation areas have traditionally been supported by well-connected advocacy groups; however, coordinated advocacy efforts for other types of urban resources are in their infancy. www.bc.edu /bc_org/research/urbaneco/AboutUrbanEcology/about_urban_ecology.htm   (850 words)

Science NetLinks: Urban Ecosystems 1: Cities Are Urban Ecosystems To understand that urban ecosystems have “emergent properties” that cannot easily be seen by simply looking at the different functional parts of a city: The whole is more than the sum of the parts. Urban Ecosystems 1 introduces some of the principles of ecology, including the definition of an ecosystem as a community of living organisms interacting with its non-living environment. Urban ecosystems occupy only about 2% of the land surface area of the planet, but provide a home for half of the world’s population. www.sciencenetlinks.com /lessons.cfm?DocID=276   (2722 words)

C:\EHDEPT\Regional Research Project\SUE.htm We define "sustainable urban ecosystems" as landscapes that are designed and managed to minimize impact on the environment and maximize the value received for the dollars expended in the long term. Sustainable urban ecosystems not only provide recreational and aesthetic values, but tangible benefits of cleaner air and water, conservation and reuse of natural resources, increased biodiversity, and other products that increase the livability of our communities. Some of the best ways to get urban dwellers interested in wild nature is through witnessing, learning about, welcoming, and facilitating the recurrent event of a major biological phenomenon such as the return of the salmon in northern California, or the return of the monarch butterflies--in Seaside and Pacific Grove, California. urban.ucdavis.edu /sue.htm   (3477 words)

EPA-MAIA - Urban Ecosystems   (Site not responding. Last check: ) Urban ecosystems - cities and suburbs - are areas that consist of a large number of people living in close proximity to one another. Urban ecosystems have the same basic kinds of interactions as other ecosystems. When we study an urban area, we must assess every kind of urban and regional problem that can be tackled by the social sciences or other related modes of systematic analysis. www.epa.gov /maia/html/urban.html   (544 words)

UNU/IAS - Urban Ecosystems An ecosystem approach to management departs from a previous emphasis on rigidity and control and moves toward practices which evolve and adjust to deal with technological change, competing priorities, surprise, impacts beyond urban borders and an increasing numbers of actors in urban governance. Urban planners are typically concerned with pressing issues of the day related to the provision of essential urban services (such as health care, water supply, primary education), the provision and upkeep of related public works, and the regulation of certain private activities (trades, house building land uses, traffic). The Urban Ecosystems Programme at UNU-IAS looks at both the theoretical aspects of an ecosystems approach to management through research and workshops, as well as its application to specific urban policy issues, through capacity development and pilot ecosystem assessments. www.ias.unu.edu /research/urbaneco.cfm   (489 words)

Urban Ecosystems In cities of the future, the working landscape becomes the unifying, integrating network of urban form, rather than a decorative addition as in the industrial city. The urban landscape collects water when it rains and holds it in ponds or tanks for future use or allows it to infiltrate slowly into underground storage. Within the green urban matrix, local communities are likely to vary greatly in character and density. www.context.org /ICLIB/IC35/Lyle.htm   (1574 words)

Urban Ecosystems - Ecology (general) Journals, Books & Online Media | Springer Urban Ecosystems is an international journal devoted to scientific investigation of the ecology of urban environments, and policy implications. The scope is broad, including interactions between urban ecosystems and associated suburban and rural environments. Contributions span a range of specific subject areas related to urban environments: biodiversity, biogeochemistry, conservation, ecosystem ecology, environmental chemistry, hydrology, landscape architecture, meteorology and climate, policy, population biology, social and human ecology, soil science, urban planning and wildlife and fisheries management. www.springer.com /west/home?SGWID=4-102-70-35542794-0&changeHeader=true&referer=www.wkap.nl&SHORTCUT=www.springer.com/prod/j/1083-8155   (130 words)

Urban Ecosystems — Audubon Society of Portland   (Site not responding. Last check: ) The more citizens learn and care about urban natural areas and urban ecosystems in general, the more individual and collect decisions will be made to protect and restore them.  Below are some of the recent scientific publications, articles and reports on the protection and restoration of our urban ecosystems for fish, wildlife, and people. Urban Forest Canopy Report in Portland, Oregon, 1972-2002 by Joe Poracsky and Michael Lackner documents a slight but consistent increase in forest canopy within the City of Portland over the 30 years with some significant increases and declines in forest canopy at the neighborhood scale. The Urban Ecosystem Research Consortium was organized in 2001 to advance the state of the science of urban ecosystems and improve our understanding of them, with a focus on the Portland/Vancouver metropolitan region. www.audubonportland.org /conservation_advocacy/urbanconservation/science_planning/document_view   (2446 words)

Tropical Restoration for the New Millennium - Urban Ecosystems Urban storm water runoff is the leading source of impairment of our nation's estuaries and a significant cause of impairment of our lakes, rivers, and oceans. Urban growth was determined by interpreting aerial photographs and satellite imagery. Urban growth on soils suitable for agriculture (23% of the island) increased by 56% between 1977 and 1994. members.aol.com /tropbosq/abstr1.htm   (2104 words)

Welcome to Canon Envirothon Like other ecosystems, urban ecosystems are communities of organisms and environmental features functioning as ecological units. But, there are numerous factors impacting the health and function of these urban ecosystems, which in turn result in social, environmental, and economic issues and problems. As urban communities grow larger and faster than ever before, natural resource management in these areas becomes crucial for achieving sustainable development and maintaining and enhancing the quality of life and the environment. www.envirothon.org /competition/Canon2004/currentissue.htm   (186 words)

Science NetLinks: Urban Ecosystems 4: Metabolism of Urban Ecosystems Urban Ecosystems 4 will show students that most of the materials and energy used by a city come from outside the city boundaries. The metabolism of urban ecosystems is much more linear (line-like) than that of forest or lake ecosystems, which tend to emphasize cycles (circle-like). We learned above that urban ecosystems are heterotrophic, with most of their energy and materials coming from outside their boundaries. www.sciencenetlinks.com /lessons.cfm?DocID=279   (2919 words)

Sydney Olympic Park : Urban Ecosystems A city is an urban ecosystem, where large numbers of people live in structures built in close proximity to one another. Urban ecosystems have the same basic kinds of interactions as other ecosystems, but those interactions are greatly affected not only by the structures that people have built and the resources they use, but also by people's cultures, behaviours, social organisation and economy. By undertaking research in our urban area (as we do for other ecosystems), we can study issues like consumption of resources (water, food and energy) waste production and sustainable development to improve urban planning and share that knowledge with others. www.sydneyolympicpark.com.au /education_and_learning/environment/urban_ecosystems   (287 words)

Gossamer Threads Links: Urban_Forestry/Urban_Ecosystems   (Site not responding. Last check: ) Given the concentration of human activity in urban centers, that humans are the dominant species in all ecosystems, and the pace of environmental change, urban ecology is a critical area for environmental research. To understand that cities are urban ecosystems which include both nature and humans, in a largely human-built environmental context. To understand that urban ecosystems have “emergent properties” that cannot easily be seen by simply looking at the different functional parts of a city: The whole is more than the sum of the parts forestryindex.net /Urban_Forestry/Urban_Ecosystems   (456 words)

CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems - Urban Ecosystems Urban ecosytems are the cities, towns and urban strips constructed by humans where a rapidly expanding number of Australia's population now reside. This growth in the urban population and the supporting built infrastructure has impacted on both urban environments and also on areas which surround urban areas. In this context, urban environments are effected by their surrounding environment but also impact on that environment. www.cse.csiro.au /research/urbanecosystems.htm   (214 words)

American Forests: About American Forests Whether it is planting trees to restore ecosystems damaged by wildfire, working with cities to reverse the decline in urban tree cover or instituting a Living Classroom project at a local school everything we do is community based. Today, the organization's primary campaigns are "Tree-Planting for Environmental Restoration" and "Reversing the National Urban Tree Deficit," which encourage people to improve rural, suburban, and urban ecosystems by planting and caring for trees that provide important environmental and economic benefits including pure water, clean air, and wildlife habitat. American Forests is a worldwide leader in using satellite imagery to analyze the health of urban tree canopies and a pioneer in defining and communicating the benefits trees provide urban ecosystems. www.americanforests.org /about_us   (1535 words)

CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems - Research We do this by understanding the connections between natural, agricultural, industrial and urban ecosystems and the degree to which the management of these systems is shaped by economic and social processes. Healthy Ecosystems: developing natural and modified landscapes that sustain biodiversity and provide the "ecosystem goods and services" that support rural and urban communities. CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems works on a diverse range of projects in environments across Australia, with researchers based at ten locations. www.cse.csiro.au /research/index.htm   (459 words)

Evolution of Urban Ecosystems In the urban model, succession becomes development in a more literal sense but in general, the population as a whole is still seen as moving toward equilibrium. These mathematical models of the urban dynamic are useful for the development of a graphically-based urban growth model, although their utility is limited when compared to new models of ecology and the hierarchical patch theory. In an urban spatial model the subject property (or cell) looks to each adjacent cell for attractive characteristics (these characteristics are dependent on the type of analysis performed) or availability of resources in order to migrate. www.rehearsal.uiuc.edu /NSF/report/Sdescription.html   (6818 words)

Connecting people with ecosystems in the 21st century: an assessment of our nation's urban forests. On a broader scale, metropolitan areas (urban counties) cover 24.5 percent of the conterminous United States and contain 74.4 billion trees that cover 33.4 percent of these counties. This report is the first national assessment of urban forest resources in the United States and details variations in urbanization and urban tree cover across the United States by state, county, and individual urban area. Key Words: Urban forests, urban forestry, tree cover, sustainability, adaptive management, urbanization, urban ecosystems, urban populations, metropolitan areas, RPA assessment. www.ncrs.fs.fed.us /pubs/2517   (303 words)

Urban Habitats This issue of Urban Habitats presents six pioneering papers that draw attention to the role that green roofs play in the conservation of plant and animal biodiversity in towns and cities, where natural habitats are few and far between. Urban Habitats is published by the Center for Urban Restoration Ecology (CURE), a collaboration between Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Rutgers University. Urban Habitats is an open-access electronic journal that focuses on current research on the biology of urban areas. www.urbanhabitats.org   (271 words)

Urban Forestry : TreeLink : The Urban Forestry Portal The urban forest is the aggregate of all vegetation within an urban area, the management of populations of trees, and the intersection of people with biology of urban flora and fauna. The Council is committed to preserving Florida's urban forests for future generations by working with communities, state, local, and professional organizations to promote urban and community forestry initiatives and offering programs of continuing education, enhancing professionalism, and recognizing outstanding achievements in urban and community forestry. CT Urban Forest Council is a leadership organization for urban forestry in the state. www.treelink.org /linx/?navSubCatRef=41   (618 words)

Urban Ecosystems That Can Save Cities | Planetizen In the October issue of Urban Land, Charles Reith writes rebuilding New Orleans with a more protective urban landscape, and provides some best practices for the management of urban ecosystems. Virtually every urban environment, no matter how densely populated, may be optimized relative to the ecological services provided." Reith stresses the importance of sentinel trees, deep organic mulches, and water-wise morphology and technologies. Thanks to the author and with the permission of the Urban Land Institute, the full-text of the article is now also available to Planetizen readers. www.planetizen.com /node/21906   (464 words)

Objectives for Urban Forestry (FOR 265) A99 Define "urban sprawl" and explain why it is still occurring. A304 Explain how proper planning can result in a successful urban forestry program that is responsive to the needs of the community. A401 How is management of the urban forest in a park different than along a street. www1.br.cc.va.us /murray/Urban_Forestry/module/objectives.htm   (350 words)

Try your search on: Qwika (all wikis)

About us   |   Why use us?   |   Reviews   |   Press   |   Contact us   Copyright © 2005-2007 www.factbites.com Usage implies agreement with terms.