[...]... goal of the book is to synthesize and present relevant scientific information in a form that can help answer the questions that land use professionals and informed citizens face every day Introduction We also assume that readers are already interested in creating land use plans, designs, and decisions that are better informed by the scientific understanding that ecologists and conservationists have developed... that this book will help planners, designers, developers, and citizens become more attuned to the workings of nature and more able to integrate ecological understanding into their work By paying attention to the ecology of the places where they work, land use professionals can create a richer, healthier world for humans and for all living creatures Part One HUMANS, NATURE, AND INTERACTIONS All organisms... more than 3.5 million people to their combined population Each year, our appetite for land and resources grows as we demand more housing, more cars, more roads, more food, more forest products, and more leisure opportunities As the human world expands, we leave less room and fewer resources for native species and ecosystems, and the natural world suffers So, too, do we ourselves suffer when we fail to... the design of nature reserves and the ways in which human and ecological needs can be integrated across entire landscapes We then move to the scale of communities and sites to discuss the design of smaller parks and nature areas as well as techniques for managing and restoring land Next, we present a range of practical planning and design techniques from an ecological standpoint The concluding chapter... themselves to health and safety risks from violent storms, wildfire, disease organisms, and other natural hazards • Retaining natural areas in cities and suburbs tends to increase real estate values, quality of life, and community desirability, thus increasing profitability for land developers and economic competitiveness for communities and regions • In national and local polls, citizens consistently... patches? The forests are contiguous with larger forests in all three situations (Figures 1-2a, b, and c) In Figure 1-2a, the site’s eastern forest plays a critical role in a habitat corridor connecting two large forested areas In Figure 1-2b, the site’s eastern forest is part of a buffer between agricultural lands and a lake/wetland system The site’s northern forest is part of a small forest patch... this book This book condenses into accessible form information that could easily fill several large volumes For emphasis and convenient reference, important concepts are further distilled in gray boxes throughout the book This format is tailored to the needs of busy land use professionals and citizens seeking a concise 3 4 Introduction overview of ecology and its applications, but such brevity means... relevant to planners, designers, developers, and other interested in land use: How does nature change over time? How predictable are these changes, and what does this mean for planning? How do organisms and species interact in nature? What causes populations of plants and animals to thrive, falter, or go extinct? Finally, how does the arrangement of landscape elements, such as cities, farms, roads, and nature... were an island floating in space (see Figure 1-1) 8 H U M A N S , N AT U R E , A N D I N T E R A C T I O N S Figure 1-1 This sample site map shows a fifty-acre (20 ha) farm, including fields, farm buildings, a stream and wetlands, and some forest Like many maps and plans, however, this one shows none of the context surrounding the farm LEGEND Agricultural Land Wetland Pasture / Grassland Forest Second,... Disciplines Scale and Context for Planning and Conservation Major Human Sources of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Enrichment Stream Characteristics Effects of Land Use on Freshwater Ecosystems and Biodiversity Values and Functions of Different Types of Natural Areas Types of Corridors Sample Species-Area Relationships for Habitat Patches in Urban Landscapes Role of Different Strata in Ecological Landscape Design . 6. The Ecology of Landscapes 93 A Word about Scale 95 Form and Function of Matrices, Patches, and Corridors 97 Land Mosaics, Land Transformation, and Implications. Dan L. Practical Ecology for Planners, Developers, and citizens / Dan L. Perlman, Jeffrey C. Milder. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN