Research to Change
The world is in a constant flux, changing and evolving due to both natural and man-made events almost every day. Daily use of vehicles, current building designs and agricultural practices are all human actions that have had a consequence on our natural environment. Natural events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods have recently become quiet frequent and have left a devastating mark on the physical environment. As humans we need to begin to question our current way of life; the way live, eat, play, and work. Specifically we need to question, analyze and study our current management strategies for both our urban and rural ecologies. Through this research we can begin to change, alter, and improve certain management strategies and practices, for if we want to continue to live comfortably and prosper we must begin to cherish and appreciate the benefits offered by our local, regional, and world-wide ecosystems.
People all over the world are beginning to realize the importance of our natural environment, causing local, regional, and national governments to begin to form agencies to research and analyze the world’s natural ecosystems. The main focus of these agencies is the idea of ecosystem services, services that offer benefits that humans recognize as being obtained from ecosystems that support, directly or indirectly, their survival and quality of life (Anton and Young, 2010: 2). Researchers around the world begin to study this idea of ecosystem services and how these services greatly depend on the maintenance and biodiversity of the world’s natural ecosystems. The study points out the negative effects global warming and landuse change are having on the swift global transformation in the natural biodiversity of our ecosystems, a system often referred to as ‘the insurance policy for life itself’ (Anton and Young, 2010: 3).
Leaders, scientists, and researchers alike all realize the importance of restoring and revitalizing our natural systems. Agreement has been made that their needs to be a commitment towards restoring biodiversity through species and habitat protection, as well as increasing the integration of ecosystem services into conservation efforts (Anton and Young, 2010: 4). We need to realize that services are provided by not just individual species but entire communities as well. Research is showing that with biodiversity being increasingly threatened by rapid global change we as humans need to begin to understand how various drivers, including climate change, are affecting various ecosystem services and systems (Anton and Young, 2010: 6). In regards to management their needs to be a growing recognition for the need to expand habitat strategies while also integrating multiple landuse and ecosystem services together. By developing various levels of responsible habitat management strategies humans will be able to live comfortably but also in a sustainable and healthy way.
One of the world’s most important natural resource is the one that covers 2/3 of the earth’s surface, water. As floods and draughts happen all over the world they create various environmental, social, and economical problems. To deal with these issues there has been movements to improve the urban water cycle and mesoclimate, as researchers are studying a plant-based surface system that will increase the water capacity of sealed urban surfaces (Silva, 2006: 2). In an urban environment, one predominantly covered with impervious surfaces, stormwater runoff tends to max out the sewage system which in turn results in overflow and flooding. Developers are beginning to design a plant-based surface system that consists basically of growing vegetation on or along constructed surfaces, such as railway tracks, rooftops, and facades (Silva, 2006: 8). This surface will help with reducing runoff volume, increase evaporation and help improve the mesoclimate. By integrating technology with natural plants and vegetation the plant-based surface system is creating an opportunity for successful stormwater management through a more natural and sustainable process. This new technology offers great potential as a management strategy for urban water systems.
Local, regional, and national agencies all over the world are beginning to raise awareness of the importance of the earth’s natural systems and resources. The plant-based surface system is one of many ideas that designers and researchers are creating to enhance and restore the biodiversity our natural ecosystems. As humans we need to step back and look at the way we live, eat, work, and play. We need to think about our current management strategies and the consequences our actions are having on our natural enviornment. We must come together and implement positive ecosystem management practices, such as the plant- based surface system, working together to make a much larger ecologial difference. For if we do not come together and change our attitude towards managing the natural ecosystems, we will lose our ‘insurance policy for life itself’.
Bibliography
Anton, Christian and Juliette Young. 2010. Research needs for incorporating the ecosystem service into EU biodiversity conservation policy. Biodivers Conserv 19: 2979-2994.
Silva, Felipe. 2006. Ability of plant-based surface technology to improve urban water cycle and mesoclimate. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 4: 145-158.
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