An array of independent and uncoordinated land-use decisions often
leads to a landscape comprised of fragmented wildlife habitats which serve both human and wildlife needs poorly. Landscape ecology proposes instead to design landscape mosaics -- matrices of patches, corridors, and ecological edges -- to serve a broader and more diverse range of ecological systems and functions. Comprehensive land-use planning and design done in this way will better promote the enhancement, protection, and management of landscapes that
support wildlife and provide ecosystem services to human populations.
The future of wildlife and wildlife habitat in rural, suburban,
and urban settings depend on an environmentally-responsible strategy of
land management that emphasizes a mix of spaces for people and
wildlife. The use of ecological information in the design process can
create a more positive union between land use and the natural
environment, and increase public awareness of wildlife, wildlife
habitats, and their value to human welfare. Wildlife and wildlife
habitat values should be considered early in the development process.
Organizations
, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
Resources
Audubon Magazine
"," Yale Environment 360
",'" The Dirt
"," The Dirt
"" Yale Environment 360
"," The Dirt
Interview with Carolyn Fraser, Author of Rewilding the World: Dispatches from the Conservation Revolution, Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ
"," The Dirt
"," The Dirt
"," The Dirt
"," The Dirt
Government Resources
, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agroforestry Center
, Australia Department of the Environment
Research
Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ 2011 Professional Landmark Award, First San Diego River Improvement Project, San Diego, Wimmer Yamada and Caughey / Image Credit: Kevin Walsh and Wimmer Yamada and Caughey
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2013
"," U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, 2013
The Conservation Fund, 2011
Landscape and Urban Planning, 2011
"," Stuart Pimm. Current Biology, 2009
"," Robbert Snep and Fabrice Ottburg. Landscape Ecology, 2007
¡°,¡± Ulf G. Sandstrom, VDM Verlag, 2008
Chicago
Wilderness with The Conservation Fund, June 2012
Chicago
Wilderness 2004
¡°,¡± Rowan A. Rowntree, Rutherford H. Platt, Pamela C. Muick, University of Massachusetts Press, 1994
Role of the Landscape Architect
Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ 2011 Honor Award. Half-Mile, Hand-Built Line: Berkshire Boardwalk / Image credit: Reed Hilderbrand
Landscape architects serve as dual advocates for both human and non-human communities. Landscape architects work with ecologists, conservation biologists, and other scientists to map existing and potential habitat patches and corridors, and then propose designs that protect critical habitats, connect fragmented green spaces, and weave together built communities and natural systems into a broader system that maximizes benefits.
Landscape architects often develop specialized knowledge in these areas: hydrology and riparian habitat for riverways; horticulture for native habitat planting; and ecology for systems.
Projects
Integrating Habitats: "Growing Together", Portland, OR (AECOM)
Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus ¡ª New Academic Complex, Mesa, AZ (Ten Eyck
Landscape Architects, Inc.)
Making a Wild Place in Milwaukee¡¯s Urban Menomonee Valley, Milwaukee( Landscapes of
Place, LLC)
(The Conservation Fund)
FirstSan Diego River Improvement Project, San Diego (Wimmer Yamada and Caughey)
Orongo Station Conservation Master Plan, Poverty Bay, North Island, New Zealand (Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects)
Ningbo Eco-Corridor - 3.3 km Living Filter, Ningbo, China (SWA Group)
, New York (James Corner Field Operations)
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