A simple method for predicting the consequences of land management in urban habitats |
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Authors: | Young C H Jarvis P J |
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Institution: | (1) School of Applied Sciences, University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1SB, UK, GB |
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Abstract: | Land management in urban areas is characterized by the diversity of its goals and its physical expression in the landscape,
as well as by the frequency and often rapidity of change. Deliberate or accidental landscape alterations lead to changes in
habitat, some of which may be viewed as environmentally beneficial, others as detrimental. Evaluating what is there and how
changes may fit into the landscape context is therefore essential if informed land-management decisions are to be made.
The method presented here uses a simple ecological evaluation technique, employing a restricted number of evaluation criteria,
to gather a spatially complete data set. A geographical information system (GIS) is then used to combine the resulting scores
into a habitat value index (HVI). Using examples from Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom, existing real-world data are then
applied to land-management scenarios to predict probable landscape ecological consequences of habitat alteration.
The method provides an ecologically relevant, spatially complete evaluation of a large, diverse area in a short period of
time. This means that contextual effects of land-management decisions can be quickly visualized and remedial or mitigating
measures incorporated at an early stage without the requirement for complex modeling and prior to the detailed ecological
survey. The strengths of the method lie in providing a detailed information baseline that evaluates all habitats, not just
the traditional “quality” habitats, in a manner that is accessible to all potential users—from interested individuals to professional
planners. |
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Keywords: | : Urban habitats GIS Ecological evaluation Decision-making Prediction |
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