Human land use – No Big Deal?

Human land use – Big Deal?

Topics: •examples of land use change •trajectories of land use change •rates of change •effects on landscape patterns •drivers of land use change

Types of Land Use

Greater Yellowstone

Types of Land Use

Greater Yellowstone

Types of Land Use

Greater Yellowstone

Types of Land Use

Rates of Exurban Expansion: Greater Yellowstone

Types of Land Use

1600

60000

Number of Rural Homes

Number of Rural Homes 50000

1400

Mean Annual Growth Rate 1200

40000

1000 800

30000

600

20000

400 10000 0 1880

200 0 1890

1900

1910

1920

1930

1940

Year

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

Mean Change in Rural Homes / Year

Rates of Exurban Expansion: Greater Yellowstone

Types of Land Use

Types of Land Use

Maasai East Africa

Types of Land Use

Maasai East Africa

Types of Land Use

Maasai East Africa: Land Use Types

Nomadic Pasturalism

Mechanized Agriculture

Small plot agriculture

Urban

Types of Land Use

Maasai East Africa: Land Use Change

Wheat Fields Nairobi

Suburban expansion Kenya

Small-scale agricultural expansion and poaching Serengeti-Mara wildebeest range

N

Types of Land Use

Mayan Forest

Calakmul Biosphere Reserve

Rio Azul El Mirador National Park Laguna del Tigre National Park National Park Maya Biosphere Reserve

MX

Tikal National Park

BZ GT

Sierra del Lacandon National Park

Montanas Mayas Biosphere Reserve

Lacantun Biosphere Reserve

0

25 50 km

100

Chiquibul National Park

Types of Land Use

Mayan Forest:Land Uses

Primary Forest

Permanent Small-Plot Agriculture

Swidden Agriculture

Industrial Agriculture

Types of Land Use

Palenque

Trajectories of Land Use Change

Foley et al. 2005

Trajectories of Land Use Change

Mustard et al. Classification

Trajectories of Land Use Change

Trajectories of Land Use Change in the U.S.

Urban

Suburban

Wildland

Exurban Resource Extraction

Agriculture Hansen et al. 2005

Exurban – low density homes (ca. 6-25/km2) in a wildland or rural matrix.

Trajectories of Land Use Change

Topology of Land Use Changes in US URBAN and RURAL SPRAWL Urban and exurban development in cities and rural areas. AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION Conversion of natural or agricultural lands to higher intensity agriculture. AGRICULTURAL ABANDONMENT Abandonment of agricultural lands leading to expansion of seminatural habitats.

Mustard et al. 2005

Rates of Land Use Change

Human Density 1950-2000

Brown et al. 2005 Area of land at urban densities grew from 1% to 2%.

Rates of Land Use Change

Rates of Exurban Expansion: US

Brown et al. 2005 Area at exurban densities grew from 5% in 1950 to 25% in 2000.

Rates of Land Use Change

Agriculture

Brown et al. 2005 Area in crops decreased from 35% in 1950 to 31% in 2000.

Rates of Land Use Change

Rates of Exurban Expansion Western US Ecoregion Northwestern Forested Mountains West Coast Forests North American Deserts Mediterranean Ca. Temperate Sierras

West Coast Forests Northwestern Forested Mountains

Percent of Area 1950 2000 Increase 3.8 21.5 5.6 fold

10.1 1.3

37.2 8.4

North American Deserts

3.7 fold 6.5 fold Mediterranean Ca.

7.0 0.7

25.1 5.8

3.6 fold 8.3 fold

Temperate Sierras

Rates of Land Use Change

Rates of Land Use Change

SERGoM housing density:1970-2030

Rates of Land Use Change

Rates of Land Use Change

Rates of Land Use Change

Rates of Land Use Change

Global (Millenium Assessment) Over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable period of time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fiber, and fuel. ■ More land was converted to cropland in the 30 years after 1950 than in the 150 years between 1700 and 1850. Cultivated systems (now cover one quarter of Earth’s terrestrial surface. ■ Approximately 20% of the world’s coral reefs were lost and an additional 20% degraded in the last several decades of the twentieth century, and approximately 35% of mangrove area was lost during this time. ■ The amount of water impounded behind dams quadrupled since 1960, and three to six times as much water is held in reservoirs as in natural rivers. Water withdrawals from rivers and lakes doubled since 1960; most water use (70% worldwide) is for agriculture. ■ Since 1960, flows of reactive (biologically available) nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems have doubled, and flows of phosphorus have tripled.

Effects on Landscape Patterns

Greater Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem Largest Estuary in US @ 7,000 km2 Average Depth 6m

Watershed 168,000 km2 (64,000 mi2) Officially an “Impaired Watershed” under the Clean Water Act Goetz in various

Percent Forest

Effects on Landscape Patterns

Tree Cover for 2000

0%

20

40

60

80

100%

0%

20

40

Goetz in various 60 80 100%

Impervious Surface

Effects on Landscape Patterns

Washington, DC

Goetz in various 10%

20

40

60

80

100%

Effects on Landscape Patterns

Goetz in various

Effects on Landscape Patterns

Habitat and Infrastructure Changes

Wildland

Exurban

Population Density Buildings Roads Impermeable surface Fences Septic runoff, Erosion Hobby livestock and pet densities Exotic species Outdoor recreation Habitat fragmentation

Drivers of Land Use

Greater Yellowstone

Thomas Moran Hayden Expedition 1871

Drivers of Land Use

Drivers of Land Use Past Natural Resource Constraints •Agricultural suitability •Water •Climate •Timber •Minerals

Transportation •Rivers •Coast •Railroads •Highways

Natural Amenities •Scenery •Wilderness •Public lands •Outdoor recreation

Present Based on Huston 2005

Drivers of Land Use

Drivers of Land Use

Drivers of Land Use Past Natural Resource Constraints •Agricultural suitability •Water •Climate •Timber •Minerals

“Dirt is destiny”

Present Based on Huston 2005

Drivers of Land Use

Drivers of Land Use Past Natural Resource Constraints •Agricultural suitability •Water •Climate •Timber •minerals

Transportation •Rivers •Coast •Railroads •Highways

Natural Amenities •Scenery •Wilderness •Public lands •Outdoor recreation

Present Based on Huston 2005

Drivers of Land Use

Drivers of Land Use Past

“Desperately seeking nature” Natural Amenities •Scenery •Wilderness •Public lands •Outdoor recreation

Present Based on Huston 2005

Drivers of Land Use

Drivers of Land Use: GYE Conclusion

Current land use patterns reflect integration of agricultural suitability, transportation, natural amenities, and past development. Gude et al. 2996

Additional References Brown, D. G., K. M. Johnson, T. R. Loveland, and D. M. Theobald. 2005. Rural land-use trends in the conterminous United States, 1950–2000. Ecological Applications 15:1851–1863. Foley, J., R. DeFries, G.P. Asner, C.G. Barford, G.B. Bonan, S.R. Carpenter, F.S.I. Chapin, M.T. Coe, G. Daily, H. Gibbs, J.H. Helkowski, T. Holloway, E. Howard, C. Kucharik, C. Monfreda, J. Patz, I.C. Prentice, N. Ramankutty, and P.K. Snyder, 2005: Global consequences of land use. Science, 309: 570-574. Gude, P.H., A.J. Hansen, R. Rasker, B. Maxwell. 2006. Rate and drivers of rural residential development in the Greater Yellowstone. Landscape and Urban Planning 77:131-151. Hansen, A.J., R. Knight, J. Marzluff, S. Powell, K. Brown, P. Hernandez, and K. Jones. 2005. Effects of exurban development on biodiversity: Patterns, Mechanisms, Research Needs. Ecological Applications 15(6): 1893-1905. Huston, M. A. 2005. The three phases of land-use change: implications for biodiversity. Ecological Applications 15: 1864–1878. Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005. Ecosystems and Human Well-being: Synthesis. Island Press, Washington, DC.