Any habitat goes through cyclical perturbations like storms, flooding, fire, in addition to regular occurrences like seasons. Habitat succession may follow a course of slow change but also diverge suddenly and reach a completely new state.
The ability of ecosystems to recover, reorganize, and adapt is commonly known as “resilience”. The basis of resilience is biodiversity. The more biodiversity, the more library information the habitat has to keep from being overwhelmed and from being changed to potentially less desirable new states.
What are some of the appearances or symptoms of those “less desirable states”?
· High Floods
· Desertification, loss of topsoil, and duststorms
· Erosion and siltation of streams and rivers
· Subsidence
· Very hot and fast-spreading wildfires
· Appearance of pest animals like rats.
As urban environments invade and displace rural and wild environments natural areas in cities connected to sub and exurban natural areas become the location in which natural systems may find their balance. Natural areas in cities typically include parks or greenways, ravines and streams, abandoned and regenerating industrial or transportation lands: both large and small.
In addition where natural systems are allowed for, people generally use the natural areas, engaging with natural areas for recreation, or to find meaning and inspiration. Property values may also be higher in proximity to natural areas. Flourishing natural habitats may also support native plants and wildlife – and the rats and pigeons might not be able to compete with them. Events which might otherwise be “natural disasters” may become limited in impact and property damage and human loss.
In a development project, the professional team may map habitat types within and adjacent the master plan area, matrix-patch-corridor and landscape flows, and – since the progression of the natural areas is open-ended – identify alternative/possible scenarios for the natural development of the habitats. This information contributes to the base data used for community planning and urban and landscape design. For example, the information may be used to identify areas that have great value for natural processes; the information may also be used to identify preservation measures (i.e., legal protection) and conservation measures (i.e., management activities) for those areas.
Even while natural processes carry on eternally, “nature” is also a socially-constructed landscape value. So a development plan could program a range of activities and services for the natural areas for its future residents and people who might visit from outside the region. These activities and services could include trail hikes, a nature interpretation center, sustainable gardening center, etc.
Urban open space for natural process and recreation is a “land use” in a development plan.
