The article Whose Habitat Is It? talks about human communities expanding into wildlife habitats. Black bears are attempting to get in the kitchen window in Margaretville, New York, at the edge of a forest. Alligators have made a splash in the neighborhood pools in Georgia. One even strolled down the sidewalk in Savannah! Deer eat flowerbeds in Big Pine Key, a Florida island. Elk graze peacefully outside a house near Yellowstone National Park. more and more wild animals are getting into human neighborhoods. Why do they want to do so?
During recent decades, the human population has been increasing so people want to build new houses to meet the need. However, the existing lands do not have enough space, so humans need to build new houses, stores, buildings, and roads in places where wildlife lives. Each year, there are about 2 million acres of open space turned into urbanization. This is called urban sprawl. The website Saving Earth mentions that “ Urban sprawl is caused in part by the need to accommodate a rising urban population; a desire for increased living space and other residential amenities.” What are the consequences of urban sprawl to the animals and plants?
Massive urban expansion can threaten natural habitats for animals. Urban Sprawl upsets animals, causing them to lose lots of food to eat and shelters to live in. Some animals are trying to find food to eat, like the bears in New Jersey, resorting to roaming through neighborhoods for tasty treats. Other animals become endangered or even extinct because they are not able to survive. An article talking about consequences of urban sprawl says that “ The negative impacts include the loss or disruption of environmentally sensitive areas such as critical natural habitats.” So how could we solve the problem of urban sprawl?
There are many solutions for urban sprawl problems to protect animals. Humans need to change the way they build new communities. For example, builders are thinking of building special bridges and tunnels for alligators, panthers, and bobcats, so they can cross the road safely. Moreover, builders can construct natural-friendly building projects to protect deers and other animals, like making a greenhouse for deers to graze. Furthermore, experts on wildlife conservation could help city planners to make a better decision because they have more knowledge about natural habitats than 20 years ago.
This article first talks about the problem of wild animals entering human’s territories. Next, it uses the concept of urban sprawl to explain why animals have such behaviors. Then, the causes and results of urban sprawl problems are discussed. Last, it presents solutions for the problem of urban sprawl. The more I read this article, the more I think humans need to protect animals and nature. If humans take away the natural habitats from wild animals, wild animals will run out of food and place for survival. Once humans destroy natural habitats, the ecosystem is unbalanced. If the ecosystem is unbalanced, more and more species will become endangered or extinct. Eventually, this might have a bad impact on humans. So humans need to protect animals and nature.
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