Landscape ecology studies the variations suffered by landscapes at the spatial level, normally on a large scale, and also over time. His field of study is the interactions between spatial patterns and the different ecological processes, in which the impact of man is very often felt.
That’s right, the action of the human being on the landscape is such that for his study a multidisciplinary approach is required. Therefore, when analyzing a certain habitat and defining a conservation strategy, landscape ecology resorts to biological, geographical knowledge and, on the other hand, also to social sciences.
The ecology of the landscapes is usually applied to large -scale landscapes, but nothing prevents it from being able to do it more concretely, provided that this smaller scale has a meaning as a unit of analysis. The important thing, in each case, is to carry out an ideal management of the territory that favors the environmental preservation. In ecology, we tell you What is landscape ecology And we show all the details about it.
Landscape transformation
If we want to evaluate the Environmental impact From an architectural point of view (public works and private work) and, in general, studying the traces of human activities, one of the ways of carrying it out is through landscape ecology.
He Landscape study It is focused from the ordination and rearrangement of the territory contemplated as an ecosystem or sum of ecosystems that suffer variations. In this sense, Landscape ecology It is a useful tool to give sustainable use to the territory, in order to reduce environmental vulnerability.
The International Landscape Ecology Association (IALE) defines it as “the study of spatial variation in landscapes in different scales. It includes the causes and consequences of the heterogeneity of the biophysical and social landscape.”
In addition, IALE highlights its multidisciplinary character and also the need to relate natural sciences to social. Among its central themes, the spatial structure of the landscapes, from the desert to the cities, as well as the relationship between it and its variations, making special emphasis on the disturbance caused by man.
In search of sustainability
The ultimate goal of Landscape ecology is to integrate man and nature in the best possible waywhich means that they always have to seek opportunities for action, especially given the critical situation suffered by the planet and how this influences the very future of humanity. Specifically, the work of landscape environmentalists is to point out the risks when making decisions, designing policies and recommending the different options for the management of natural resources and the use of land.
Making the most habitable cities, achieving the balance between asphalt and green or, for example, combining rural areas and public works with natural areas are some of the objectives of this discipline. Natural corridors, for example, allow animals to move through their habitat and the lack of these or their destruction due to the existence of highways, wired, murose, etc., can have dramatic consequences for those species in particular and, in general, for the balance of the environment.
Similarly, pollinators can see their activity disturbed if there are large extensions of intensive crops treated with pesticides and other chemicals. Preventing these and other similar problems is complex, and it cannot always be carried out for different reasons. Even so, beyond its viability, the accurate diagnosis corresponds to landscape environmentalists.
The design of cities is another of the great challenges of landscape ecology. Richard TT form, a professor at Harvard University considered the father of this discipline, “the ecology of the urban landscape must include people and nature.” His ideal world is in the antipodes of the chaotic and contaminated city. To form, a sustainable city goes through “molding the land and distributing people in areas around the great city, minimally affecting the environment.”
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