Urban Expansion, Land Cover and Soil Ecosystem Services
Title | Urban Expansion, Land Cover and Soil Ecosystem Services PDF eBook |
Author | Ciro Gardi |
Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
Pages | 302 |
Release | 2017-04-07 |
Genre | Technology & Engineering |
ISBN | 1317504712 |
More than half of the world population now lives in cities, and urban expansion continues as rural people move to cities. This results in the loss of land for other purposes, particularly soil for agriculture and drainage. This book presents a review of current knowledge of the extension and projected expansion of urban areas at a global scale. Focusing on the impact of the process of 'land take' on soil resources and the ecosystem services that they provide, it describes approaches and methodologies for detecting and measuring urban areas, based mainly on remote sensing, together with a review of models and projected data on urban expansion. The most innovative aspect includes an analysis of the drivers and especially the impacts of soil sealing and land take on ecosystem services, including agriculture and food security, biodiversity, hydrology, climate and landscape. Case studies of cities from Europe, China and Latin America are included. The aim is not only to present and analyse this important environmental challenge, but also to propose and discuss solutions for the limitation, mitigation and compensation of this process.
Urban Expansion, Land Cover and Soil Ecosystem Services
Title | Urban Expansion, Land Cover and Soil Ecosystem Services PDF eBook |
Author | Ciro Gardi |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 468 |
Release | 2017-04-07 |
Genre | Technology & Engineering |
ISBN | 1317504704 |
More than half of the world population now lives in cities, and urban expansion continues as rural people move to cities. This results in the loss of land for other purposes, particularly soil for agriculture and drainage. This book presents a review of current knowledge of the extension and projected expansion of urban areas at a global scale. Focusing on the impact of the process of 'land take' on soil resources and the ecosystem services that they provide, it describes approaches and methodologies for detecting and measuring urban areas, based mainly on remote sensing, together with a review of models and projected data on urban expansion. The most innovative aspect includes an analysis of the drivers and especially the impacts of soil sealing and land take on ecosystem services, including agriculture and food security, biodiversity, hydrology, climate and landscape. Case studies of cities from Europe, China and Latin America are included. The aim is not only to present and analyse this important environmental challenge, but also to propose and discuss solutions for the limitation, mitigation and compensation of this process.
Impacts of Land-use Change on Ecosystem Services
Title | Impacts of Land-use Change on Ecosystem Services PDF eBook |
Author | Jinyan Zhan |
Publisher | Springer |
Pages | 267 |
Release | 2015-08-10 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 3662480085 |
This book aims to systematically elaborate how land-use change directly or indirectly exerts impacts on the ability of ecosystems to provide services for human society. The relationship between land use, ecosystem services and human well-being is a hot topic, and there have been some important achievements in this field, but its continuing growth means that it warrants further research. The unique viewpoint, the scientific analysis methods and the precise language of this book make it not only a valuable guide for professors conducting research, but also a reference resource to help governments make decisions on relevant policies. Prof. Jinyan Zhan is an associate professor at the School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, China.
Urban Soils
Title | Urban Soils PDF eBook |
Author | Rattan Lal |
Publisher | CRC Press |
Pages | 423 |
Release | 2017-10-18 |
Genre | Technology & Engineering |
ISBN | 149877010X |
Globally, 30% of the world population lived in urban areas in 1950, 54% in 2016 and 66% projected by 2050. The most urbanized regions include North America, Latin America, and Europe. Urban encroachment depletes soil carbon and the aboveground biomass carbon pools, enhancing the flux of carbon from soil and vegetation into the atmosphere. Thus, urbanization has exacerbated ecological and environmental problems. Urban soils are composed of geological material that has been drastically disturbed by anthropogenic activities and compromised their role in the production of food, aesthetics of residential areas, and pollutant dynamics. Properties of urban soils are normally not favorable to plant growth—the soils are contaminated by heavy metals and are compacted and sealed. Therefore, the quality of urban soils must be restored to make use of this valuable resource for delivery of essential ecosystem services (e.g., food, water and air quality, carbon sequestration, temperature moderation, biodiversity). Part of the Advances in Soil Sciences Series, Urban Soils explains properties of urban soils; assesses the effects of urbanization on the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and water and the impacts of management of urban soils, soil restoration, urban agriculture, and food security; evaluates ecosystem services provisioned by urban soils, and describes synthetic and artificial soils.
Urban Ecosystem Services
Title | Urban Ecosystem Services PDF eBook |
Author | Alessio Russo |
Publisher | MDPI |
Pages | 246 |
Release | 2021-05-07 |
Genre | Science |
ISBN | 3036505822 |
The school of thought surrounding the urban ecosystem has increasingly become in vogue among researchers worldwide. Since half of the world’s population lives in cities, urban ecosystem services have become essential to human health and wellbeing. Rapid urban growth has forced sustainable urban developers to rethink important steps by updating and, to some degree, recreating the human–ecosystem service linkage. Assessing, as well as estimating the losses of ecosystem services can denote the essential effects of urbanization and increasingly indicate where cities fall short. This book contains 13 thoroughly refereed contributions published within the Special Issue “Urban Ecosystem Services”. The book addresses topics such as nature-based solutions, green space planning, green infrastructure, rain gardens, climate change, and more. The contributions highlight new findings for landscape architects, urban planners, and policymakers. Important future cities research is considered by looking at the system connectivity between the social and ecological sphere—via varying forms of urban planning, management, and governance. The book is supported by methods and models that utilize an urban sustainability and ecosystem service-centric focus by adding knowledge-base and real-world solutions into the urbanization phenomenon.
Urban Land Systems: An Ecosystems Perspective
Title | Urban Land Systems: An Ecosystems Perspective PDF eBook |
Author | Andrew Millington |
Publisher | MDPI |
Pages | 201 |
Release | 2018-07-02 |
Genre | Science |
ISBN | 3038429171 |
This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Urban Land Systems: An Ecosystems Perspective" that was published in Land
Ecosystem Services in Agricultural and Urban Landscapes
Title | Ecosystem Services in Agricultural and Urban Landscapes PDF eBook |
Author | Stephen Wratten |
Publisher | John Wiley & Sons |
Pages | 284 |
Release | 2013-01-14 |
Genre | Science |
ISBN | 1118506243 |
Ecosystem services are the resources and processes supplied by natural ecosystems which benefit humankind (for example, pollination of crops by insects, or water filtration by wetlands). They underpin life on earth, provide major inputs to many economic sectors and support our lifestyles. Agricultural and urban areas are by far the largest users of ecosystems and their services and (for the first time) this book explores the role that ecosystem services play in these managed environments. The book also explores methods of evaluating ecosystem services, and discusses how these services can be maintained and enhanced in our farmlands and cities. This book will be useful to students and researchers from a variety of fields, including applied ecology, environmental economics, agriculture and forestry, and also to local and regional planners and policy makers.