Location, location, location(In contrast the national trend in the U....)
In contrast, the national trend in the U.S. has been toward more dispersed housing since the 1940s.
Environmental effects begin during housing construction and their impact on wildlife populations and the landscape continues for decades. During housing construction, natural vegetation is removed or disturbedsparking soil erosionand habitat is lost and fragmented. Wildlife movement is restricted by roads and fences, bird nests may be abandoned, and non-native species may move into the area.
Gonzalez-Abraham, Radeloff, and colleagues found that in their northern Wisconsin study area habitat loss was greatest (up to 60 percent) in deciduous forests and lowest in wetlands. But they also found that houses were strongly clustered alongside lakeshores. One of their study areas, the Northern Highlands, boasts one of the highest concentrations of kettle lakes in the world, offering appealing recreational and scenic amenities and drawing extensive housing growth.
People and wildlife are often drawn to the same places and that exacerbates the environmental effects of houses, notes Radeloff.
Around lakeshores, those effects can include loss of ground-nesting birds, green frogs, wood turtles, and loss of habitat for fish as lakeshore residents clear away aquatic vegetation and woody debris. Also, the value of lakes as a natural amenity diminishes when shores are too densely developed, a concern of citizens and land use planners in northern Wisconsin.
Clustering housing developments clearly help lessen damage to the surrounding environment and to plants and animals say the authors. But the question of where houses are placed in the landscape is crucial.
Some areas are going to be more important to avoid than others because of their conservation value, says Radeloff. High density development in areas such as lakeshores means degrading habitat we prize for its scenic and recreational value. In order for clustered develo
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| Contact: Nadine Lymn nadine@esa.org Ecological Society of America Source:Eurekalert |
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