Ecology Report: Human Impact on Ecosystems and Landscapes

This report provides a comprehensive overview of ecology, examining the management of land by indigenous populations, the principles of landscape ecology, and the impact of urbanization on ecosystems. It explores how human activities affect landscapes and the importance of integrating nature and culture in urban planning. The report also discusses the role of landscape architects and land planners in addressing ecological problems, the concept of nature in landscape design, and the dynamics of land mosaics. It emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to understanding and managing ecosystems, highlighting the importance of biodiversity, conservation, and sustainable practices. The report draws on various sources to provide insights into the complex relationships between human actions and the environment, offering valuable information for students of environmental science and related fields. This report is available on Desklib, a platform offering past papers and solved assignments.

Running head: ECOLOGY
Ecology
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

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The biggest estate on earth: how Aborigines made Australia, Allen & Unwin
The book provides how land owned by the Australian people was managed by them in
1788. The book provides how they made management of land possible why they did it and what
did it to do it. The book provides an argument that the people during that time considered the
Australian state they managed as universal and single. The Australian state was A Remarkable
state has no state on the planet was situated on so much land. The state covers an area of 7.7
million square kilometers and includes broad diversity of species and cultures. The Europeans
were yet to get any information about the land. They came to know that the Seasons were not
always seasonal and in the north they mark two seasons one is wet and the other as dry hi were in
the south Four Seasons has been marked by then as sided by then ancestors.
Three major facts have been established through this book. It provides that 70% of the
Australian plants tolerate on need fire. Therefore the knowledge which provided plant can
tolerate fire along with how much and when was a crucial element towards knowing how to
manage land. This knowledge could allow the burning of plants so that the regeneration from the
post fire good move and situated grazing animals towards selecting the place of feeding and
Habitat preferred by them. The shepherding of grazing animals would only be possible in this
way as in Australia and like any other place the animals had no serious predators apart from
humans.
There was no wilderness at all in Australia. An ecological philosophy in form of the law
had been imposed by religious sanctions which forced people to provide care for the whole
country. The motive of people living in Australia was to only case for the country and to live and
die for it. According to the law of the land during that period people had to leave the world in the

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same form it had been provided to them. Therefore during 1788 practices world conservative
however static means were not imposed by this. The management was based on Active activities
and was allowed to circumstances and seasons along with being committed to a balance of life
(Gammage, 2011).
Integrating nature and culture in landscape ecology. In Landscape ecology in Asian
cultures
The general article provides that the field of landscape Ecology is now a properly
established interdisciplinary study which is proved by various features. The features include
developing but prominent systems of principles theories applications and concepts. The
recognized status of the field is reflected through the adaptation of several universities about the
course matter of the study along with the interest of various authors to make research on it. It
may be argued that the above discussed features are not adequate to consider landscape ecology
as a properly establish interdisciplinary study in a strict sense.
The identified limitations can be because of the limitations of consensus with respect to
properly articulated research goals and questions along with a proper methodology for the area.
Although the area of landscape Ecology has developed it is far from becoming a mature science
which could be capable of achieving its objectives of becoming trans-disciplinary. Setting out a
theoretical basis and development of a proper methodology along with the demonstration
successful application in relation to area based studies so that proper management designing and
understanding towards sustainable landscapes can be developed is the most important and
challenging role of landscape ecology.

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Human Geography along with other Social Sciences have a lot of knowledge which can
be used by landscape ecologist. They can gain a lot through the integration of holistic and
analytical approaches in the field. They have to realize that March is yet to be studied in relation
to traditional and contemporary cultural landscapes. Although as the spectrum of the research
interest is being expanded which is embarrassing a greater complexity in relation to landscapes
along with reaching advanced levels of trans disciplinarily the essential characteristics of
landscape Ecology must not be forgotten and emphasis should be on spatial heterogeneity and
related spatially appropriate methodology which is in relation to the definition originally
provided by Carl Troll and which has been converted to the side-lines of landscape ecology of
the modern world (Wu, 2011).
Urban ecological systems: Scientific foundations and a decade of progress Journal
of Environmental Management
The journal article provides that the nature of human habitation has changed
predominantly from rural to urban during the last century. Even though the newly developed
handloom was not considered by primary ecology during the majority of that same period
important contributions towards developing a knowledge about urban environment and those
times were made. A significant finding in relation to urban ecology were logical research which
focused on both patches within urban complexes along with the function and structure of entire
contributions was that the functions related to ecosystem still exist.
There are several benefits towards recognizing functioning of the ecosystem in the
boundaries of urban complexes such as through the assessment of ecological functions of
slowing the flow of water along with promotion of human health and wellbeing the quality of

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environment downstream along with the life in cities can together be improved. During the past
decade conceptions of the urban social-ecological in nature along with methods of structuring
them have become originally filtered and mostly differentiated. New demographic and social
concepts have been discovered in addition to traditional socio demographic variables.
The common relationship among biophysical and socio-economic processes near and in
urban complexes frequently can be emphasized on through one or more precarious lenses. The
significance of land with respect to the basis for both buyer physical and social processes is
provided through the rubric of land change science. Therefore in this theory land main support a
more comprehensive concept in relation to human ecosystem.
Therefore the connected interactions of biophysical and social spatial heterogeneities
actress small scale can be used through the exercise of sufficient level urban structure approach
that is in addition linked well with watershed regional social and airshed connections. Through
this approach the growing issue of society and Science in relation to sustainability can be applied
and enhanced (Picckett et al., 2011).
Integrating environment policy with business strategy. Long range planning
The paper is related to landscape architectures and land-use planning. The concepts have
elongated and differentiated pasts of inspired happenings. In order to provide solution for the
existing ecological problems landscape architects and land planners have to be poised uniquely
towards the society. They are scholars and professionals who have their focuses on land, creating
and designing plans and solving problems. There are few examples which depict impressive
harmonies in land such as the Italian country villas and developments of national parks and the
major reason for this is that they meshed culture with nature. The planners and designers were

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mature towards both cultures and nature as they had sufficient knowledge in both. Wildlife
populations, wind, water, wet lands, biological patters, physical processes entwined in vegetation
and biological patters were included in nature.
The varied human dimensions of aesthetics, recreation, community social patters waste
handling, transportation and economics are integrated within cultures. The components of culture
and ecology had diverged during that time in a few countries. For instance ecology hand matured
and moved away from design and planning or primary importance was provided to economics or
waste handling were considered as the only problems of engineering. The expertise’s of
landscape architects and land planners have always been restricted to small areas such as
shopping malls, housing clusters and small parks.
The book aimed to identify and establish major principles of landscape ecology
especially those which can be used directly in landscape architecture and land use planning along
with illustrating that how such principals could be used in designing and planning projects
(Hutchinson, 1996).
Ecology and design: frameworks for learning
Landscapes are designed by sun and rain, animals and plants, human mind and hands.
Whether clipped or wild, straight or curved, plastics or living plants, every region and every
garden is a result of human intelligence and natural phenomenon. It is not possible to design a
landscape without an expression of concepts about nature even if unconsciously. For many years
nature has acted like a model and mirror for the purpose of designing landscapes, has been
looked up-to for guidance and inspiration. Nature is both constructed and given. The paper

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provides for the nature of nature where it states that there are always differences between the
definition of nonhuman features and the autonomy prescribed to them.
Nature is considered a reflector for and of culture. The concept of nature provides as
much in relation to human society as it is done about non human autonomy. Although human
culture is described as nature’s reflection, the ideas also reflect nature. As it is a product of
culture, the concept of nature is taken differently from people to people, period to period and
place to place. The natural way of doing things have been subjected to dispute even in the same
time and place. The nature of planning and landscape designing is also provided by the paper.
The paper states that a strong idea is held by landscape architects in relation to nature, whatever
it may signify to them they have a tendency of caring about it.
The values and belief which are represented by these ideas is usually the reason why this
profession is entered upon by them. Te paper provides about constructing nature and state that
nature is constructed by landscape architects both figuratively and literally, however the history
of the modern landscape architects provides that they followed norms rather than rhetorical
expressions and ideas (Melnick, 2001).
Land Mosaics: The Ecology of Landscapes and Regions
The paper provides about regions and land mosaics and states that the focus of the society
is limited to their own house lots, housing developments and sometimes their towns, however
they fail to realize that more large and significant forces are degrading which is going to affect
the land we inhabit in a very drastic manner. The paper states that even if there are developments
towards few identified natural areas new areas reflecting environmental degradation are coming

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up. To solve this big emerging problem the areas have to be segregated into different parts and
them work needs to be carried out on them.
The population of the cities are developing overtime because the birth rate is higher that
the mortality rate. Emigration and immigration rates are specially affected by economic
fluctuations which results in short term population drops and rise. A dynamic mosaic of nature
and people is revealed by the emphasis on the patterns within urban regions. Enhanced
approaches in relation to strategy are required mix half nature and people and create a full
combination. A city is significant and relatively large municipality. Even with the use of a
satellite it is not adequate to identify the boundaries of a city clearly.
In urban regions green spaces are an unbuilt area which signifies areas which do not
contain closely spaced building. Mostly the green spaces and built areas are required by the
cities. Nature is referred to by the natural system but emphasis is placed on its functioning,
change and structure. The working of nature is based on species flow and move materials and
energy. The paper points out the importance of biodiversity, nature’s richness, conservations and
habitats. It describes urbanization, regions such as bioregions and eco-regions along with its
internal and external effects. It also discusses about land mosaic perspective and land ecology
(Forman, 2014).
Human impacts on ecosystems and landscapes. Placing Nature: Culture in
Landscape Ecology
The paper provides a discussion on human impacts on ecosystem and landscapes. The
paper initiates by stating that it was not necessary for early humans to take care of the land at a
rate which is required by the modern society as during that time nature was able to take care of

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its self. The paper further states that the capacity of biosphere towards sustaining life is ever
decreasing. This is because of the ever growing threat from human population growth which
results in the increase of energy use and technological innovations.
The problems which is faced by the society, lies within the simplicity of physical science
and the complexity of social science within the nature. The integrity of the ecosystem is
subjected to threats because of rapidly developing technology based on chemistry and physics
which have recently largely increased in scale. The entire planate is now been subjected to
hazards like chemical toxification, loss of biodiversity, global warming and ozone layer
depletion. However it cannot be provided that the advancements made by the technology cannot
provide benefits to the environment. For example acid rains in Europe and America have been
reduced rapidly through the use of scrubbers used for removing sulfur-di-oxide.
The rate of environmental degradation is actually a result of over use of energy by the
humans. However in most of the circumstances it is way too easy to derive the benefits of the
developing technology then considering the degrading effects of it on the environment. This is
particularly more harmful when the long term effects of the problem are considered. However
whatever the case may be very less effort is provided to such matters. The advancement in social
science which un-dergird law, politics, management and economics have compulsorily came
more slowly as compared to advancement in technology. The problems which are being created
by the present society is certain to have a band effect on our children and grandchildren
(Gorham, 1997).
Ecosystem structure and function along urban-rural gradients: an unexploited
opportunity for ecology

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The paper is related to the ecosystem function and structure along urban-rural gradients.
Urbanization is a large, unexpected testing which is by now affecting big acreages and spreading
across in various areas of the United States. The definitions of urbanization can be states as an
increase in the use of energy due to the growth of population along with modification of
landscape in an extensive way. Urbanization creates systems which do not allow the persistence
of local natural resources. In an urban context natural areas are those which are not extensively
managed by humans.
Thus they be categorized as lakes, ponds, parks and streams. The purpose of the paper is
to show that how urbanization can be used in form of a ecology research subject. The paper
states that how the results obtained through urbanization will be able to provide a context for
providing answers to ecological questions of common applicability and importance along with
the issue that are unique and specific to urbanization. A conceptual framework is also provided
by the paper for the purpose of studying urbanization ecologically. The development of urban
areas in North America and in reality worldwide signifies the information about ecosystems in
relation to urbanization is subjected to increasingly important.
The nature and magnitude of the variations in chemical, biotic and physical ecosystems
are related urbanization give an extraordinary suit of testing treatment which can be utilized by
ecology. The framework which has been proposed by the paper to provide guidance to the
integration and design of ecological studies in relation to rural-urban gradients and provides its
uses to address fundamental ecological issues. The paper concludes by providing that the
components of humans are critical to the study of urban rural gradients for ecological systems
(McDonnell & Pickett, 1990).

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References
Forman, R. T. (2014). Land Mosaics: The Ecology of Landscapes and Regions (1995) (p. 217).
Island Press.
Gammage, B. (2011), The biggest estate on earth: how Aborigines made Australia, Allen &
Unwin, Crows Nest, N.S.W., pp. 1-17.
Gorham, E. (1997). Human impacts on ecosystems and landscapes. Placing Nature: Culture in
Landscape Ecology, JI Nas-sauer (Editor). Island Press, Washington, DC.
Hutchinson, C. (1996). Integrating environment policy with business strategy. Long range
planning, 29(1), 11-23.
McDonnell, M. J., & Pickett, S. T. (1990). Ecosystem structure and function along urban-rural
gradients: an unexploited opportunity for ecology. Ecology, 1232-1237.
Melnick, R. (2001). Ecology and design: frameworks for learning. Island Press.
S.T.A. Picckett et al., (2011), Urban ecological systems: Scientific foundations and a decade of
progress Journal of Environmental Management 92 331e362
Wu, J. (2011). Integrating nature and culture in landscape ecology. In Landscape ecology in
Asian cultures (pp. 301-321). Springer Japan.