SPI 1711

Landscape and the Human Impact

The Influence of Urbanization on the

Ecology of Inland Areas
Rocks, soils, vegetation and animals together with air and water form
different ecosystems. An ecosystem is the relationship between living things
and their habitat. Urbanization has brought many changes to natural
ecologies. The way urbanization impacts an ecology varies depending on the
kind of ecology.
One of the changes brought to inland
areas due to urbanization is that theses
areas are being turned into Urban Heat
Islands. This effect has increased rapidly
over the last few decades and is raising
much concern. When industrial and urban
areas are developed on a large scale, this
results in greater production and
retention of heat, forming an urban heat
island. This effect is heightened in inland
locations due to their being far from the
coastal areas where the sea would
contribute to ventilation. Usually, when areas are undeveloped or near a
coast, a large amount of solar energy is consumed evaporating water from
the nearby lake or sea, or the water from vegetation and soil. In inlandurbanized areas, not only is there no nearby body of water, but also through
the urbanization process much of the original vegetation and soil is overbuilt.
Hence, less evaporative cooling in urbanized inland areas results in higher
surface temperatures than in rural areas, during warm daylight hours. Both
personal vehicles and public transport vehicles release great amounts of
heat, so inland areas that serve as road and are not built up still contributed
greatly to this Heat Island Effect. In built up areas, great contributors to the
amount of city heat are industrial and domestic heating and cooling units. As
a result of this Heat Island Effect, inland urbanized areas are usually 1 to 3 C
hotter than surrounding undeveloped landscapes. The difference in
temperature of urbanized inland areas compared to rural areas increases
with the size of the urbanized area.
Urbanization and its associated human
activities have caused a great loss of
biodiversity in inland areas. Large
numbers of native plant species are often
destroyed, however the number of nonnative plant species usually increases
greatly due to the introduction of many
species in managed green spaces.
Jennifer Polidano 361795M
January 2015

SPI 1711

Landscape and the Human Impact

A dataset, described as the largest of it kind to date, has assessed the

impact of urbanisation on biodiversity levels around the globe. The
international team of researchers collected lists of plants in 110 cities and
lists of birds found in 54 cities around the world. Many inland cities grew in
areas that were diverse and rich in natural resources, plants and animals but
retained about just 8% of bird species and 25% of plant species of
comparable undeveloped land. The findings appear in the journal
Proceedings of the Royal Society B. In particular, the study highlights the
value of green spaces in cities, which have become important refuges for
native species and migrating wildlife.

Shanghai, China is one city in particular that has experienced extensive

urban expansion over the last three of decades. The resulting ecological
consequences of urban sprawl have caused considerable concern among
scientists and policy makers. The land use and land cover in Shanghai have
been greatly altered as a result of this rapid expansion of urban areas. This
has placed a heavy burden on air and water quality, particularly in the inland
part of the now huge city. Air quality monitoring data obtained from different
observatories showed that concentrations of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen
dioxide, along with acid rain frequency, were greater in the more urbanised
inland areas. The sulphur dioxide and TSP in the air, and acid rain were
largely the result of coal combustion. The rising concentrations of nitrogen
oxide are attributed primarily to a rapidly increasing number of motor
vehicles in recent years. This really demonstrated well the negative influence
of urbanisation on the area.
Though it stands among the most urbanised regions on the globe, Europe
remains indeed a fascinating and diverse continent and its people still enjoy
access to extensive natural or semi-natural landscapes. Yet serious concerns
persist regarding Europes urban future, its urban growth being far from a
down turn, particularly in inland areas. More than a quarter of the European
Unions territory is negatively impacted by urban land uptake, cities are
spreading, minimizing the time and distances between and in-and-out of
cities. There is no apparent slowing in these trends, with the urban areas of
Jennifer Polidano 361795M
January 2015

SPI 1711

Landscape and the Human Impact

the southern, eastern and central

parts of Europe particularly at
risk. The sprawling nature of
Europes cities is critically
important because of major
impacts that are evident in
increased energy, land and soil
consumption, that threaten both
natural and rural environments;
rising greenhouse gas emissions
that cause climate change and elevated air and noise pollution levels that
often exceed the agreed human safety limits - Europe loses 200 million
working days a year to air pollution-related illness alone; not to mention
social inequities associated with such impacts or the economic losses due to
traffic congestion or to the effects of extreme weather events.
In conclusion it can be said that urbanization in inland areas usually results in
a number of ecological problems, including the degradation of air and water
quality, alteration of the local climate, a decline in native species, and an
increase in numbers of alien species. This is why it is important to have
policies in place to promote clean energy use to reduce water and air
pollution; this can involve the improvement of the sewage treatment
infrastructure, removal of exhaust emission sources, improvement of
transportation systems, and control of vehicle density.

Jennifer Polidano 361795M

January 2015

SPI 1711

Landscape and the Human Impact

References
http://www.frontiersinecology.org/specialissue/ESA_Sept06_ONLINE-03.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_ecology
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/08/03/us-china-urbanisationidUSTRE6721D320100803
http://www.eea.europa.eu/media/speeches/urbanisation-in-europe-limits-tospatial-growth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecology
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26140827

Jennifer Polidano 361795M

January 2015