Environmental Effects of Changes in Rural Areas: AGB555

This essay explores the inevitable changes occurring in rural areas due to industrial growth and scientific advancements. It highlights that the impacts of these changes differ significantly from urban and suburban areas. The essay focuses on the environmental and socioeconomic effects of these changes, particularly in rural areas near urban centers. It discusses issues such as land degradation, water and air pollution, and traffic congestion. The essay also considers factors like transportation, living standards, and migration patterns that contribute to these pressures. The primary concern is identifying sustainable development strategies to mitigate the negative impacts on rural environments, emphasizing the need for solutions that balance progress with environmental protection and the preservation of rural settlements. The essay also provides a reference list including works from various authors, such as Chambers, Deng et al., Meyfroidt et al., and Roberts, Hall & Morag.

Running head: EFFECT OF CHANGES IN RURAL AREA
EFFECT OF CHANGES IN RURAL AREA
Name of the student:
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Author note:

1EFFECT OF CHANGES IN RURAL AREA
Change in any community are inevitable. There is a vast change in communities around
the globe due to scientific knowledge that has given tremendous industrial growth. However, the
effects of changes in urban, suburbs and rural are not precisely same and differ drastically. The
essay discusses on the changes occurring in the ways rural areas are impacted by the occurring
changes.
Any area that is geographically located outside the cities or town is called rural area.
Rural area generally has a low population compared to urban area. It is comparatively primitive
in nature with traditional activities (Chambers, 2014). Although the units of the characteristics
may vary place to place, the characteristics are often universal. Along with immense
development in the industrial sector there have been several changes in the rural areas of the
country. The rural area close to urban area is more adversely affected by the urban development.
The changes have social and economic implications on the rural areas. In rural area, functions
tend to be low which grows with population. There are social and economic issues that are
related with the rural change. Changes in the rural area lead to changes within and between rural
areas. Rural areas are less populated and less developed which demands adequate resources to
sustain in the rural area. Therefore lack of any economic opportunities in the rural area can lead
to decline in the population. Therefore to avoid the expected problems which may occur in the
future measures are taken which leads to further changes. Also, there are other factors
responsible for the no growth in the rural areas are transport, standard of living, improved
technology, urban to rural migration and many more. The mentioned factors are considered
potential issues causing pressure on the rural area; however the nature of pressure depends on the
location of the rural area (Deng et al., 2015).

2EFFECT OF CHANGES IN RURAL AREA
In the whole process of changes, a big problem is narrowed down. The big problem
caused due to the changes in the rural area is the environmental issues caused by the changes in
the rural areas. The environmental issues that arises are changing the usage of land, land
degradation due to increase in the rural population, water pollution, traffic congestion and air
pollution.
Rural area near the cities has more chances of going through changes. The areas largely
attract industrialists for the opportunities available in the rural area. The opportunities are the
available water bodies, opportunities of fishing, mining, forestry, housing and recreation. There
have been impacts of the changes on the environment (Meyfroidt et al., 2013). The impacts on
the environment are caused due to housing development, recreational and leisure activities. Also,
the agricultural practices of the farmers, water pollution and air pollution by transportation have
impacted the rural environment. Land degradation, damage to the wildlife, pollution and
landscapes are also important impacts on environment (Roberts, Hall & Morag, 2017).
There are also opportunities that varies depending on the distance from the market. There
have been variations over the timing which have brought changes in the rural areas. Many rural
areas have decline in farming and other traditional activities which lead to changes in the
purpose of rural settlements. In the end, with all the factors and impact the main concern is to
find solutions to the problem. The solution would be by bringing sustainable development
without damaging the rural or having any negative impacts on the rural areas.
Questions: (choose any one)
How to ensure sustainability by managing rural areas?
What are some major environments related issues associated with change in rural area?

3EFFECT OF CHANGES IN RURAL AREA
What are the pressures on the rural area? How can it be solved?

4EFFECT OF CHANGES IN RURAL AREA
Reference:
Chambers, R. (2014). Rural development: Putting the last first. Routledge.
Deng, X., Huang, J., Rozelle, S., Zhang, J., & Li, Z. (2015). Impact of urbanization on cultivated
land changes in China. Land use policy, 45, 1-7.
Meyfroidt, P., Lambin, E. F., Erb, K. H., & Hertel, T. W. (2013). Globalization of land use:
distant drivers of land change and geographic displacement of land use. Current Opinion
in Environmental Sustainability, 5(5), 438-444.
Roberts, L., Hall, D., & Morag, M. (2017). New directions in rural tourism. Routledge.