Urbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services: Challenges and Opportunities: A Global Assessment: A Part of the Cities and Biodiversity Outlook Project - Couverture rigide

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 9400770871 ISBN 13 : 9789400770874

Editeur : Springer, 2013

Synopsis

Urbanization is a global phenomenon and the book emphasizes that this is not just a social-technological process. It is also a social-ecological process where cities are places for nature, and where cities also are dependent on, and have impacts on, the biosphere at different scales from local to global. The book is a global assessment and delivers four main conclusions:

1. Urban areas are expanding faster than urban populations. Half the increase in urban land across the world over the next 20 years will occur in Asia, with the most extensive change expected to take place in India and China
2. Urban areas modify their local and regional climate through the urban heat island effect and by altering precipitation patterns, which together will have significant impacts on net primary production, ecosystem health, and biodiversity
3. Urban expansion will heavily draw on natural resources, including water, on a global scale, and will often consume prime agricultural land, with knock-on effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services elsewhere
4. Future urban expansion will often occur in areas where the capacity for formal governance is restricted, which will constrain the protection of biodiversity and management of ecosystem services

A propos du livre

À propos de la quatrième de couverture

To understand how the world s ecosystems are changing we need to understand cities, and to create better cities we need to understand the ecosystems they depend on. The failure of most markets, government policies and even urban studies to take these relations into account has put cities, and increasingly the whole world, in a difficult position. Studies likeUrbanization, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services can help us to extricate ourselves, provided we act on the knowledge they provide.
Gordon McGranahan
International Institute for Environment and Development

The challenges of urbanization are profound, but so too are the opportunities. Cities can reconcile human society and biodiversity by creating environments that are ecologically sustainable, economically productive, socially just, politically participatory and culturally vibrant. I commend this study to all who have a stake in creating ecologically sustainable urbanization for the benefit of humanity and the planet.
Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General, United Nations

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Springer
• Date d'édition: 2013
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 9400770871
• ISBN 13: 9789400770874
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 755
• Éditeur: Elmqvist Thomas, Fragkias Michail, Goodness Julie, Güneralp Burak, Marcotullio Peter J.
• Coordonnées du fabricant: ProductSafety@springernature.com; ProductSafety@springernature.com; ; Europaplatz 3; Heidelberg; 69115; Allemagne