URBAN ECOLOGY: HISTORY, PRINCIPLES, EXAMPLES - ENVIRONMENT - 2024

The urban ecology is a science that deals with studying how the social part and naturally interact with each other in populated areas. It is an area of ​​study that starts from ecology, but is related to other areas such as geography or sociology.

Its main objective is to determine how different communities of living beings adapt to the context in which they inhabit. The development of urban planning or the impact caused due to the creation and handling of material that is considered polluting is taken into account.

The city of Curitiba is considered the ecological capital of Brazil. Source: O Bicho Geográfico, via Wikimedia Commons.

At present it is classified as one of the most important sciences, since it encourages the creation of new sustainable spaces. In this way, it seeks to minimize the reduction of other species with the firm objective of improving the quality of life. Among other things, this discipline talks about responsible consumption and conservation.

History

To talk about urban ecology it is necessary to specify a very important precedent, which was the birth of ecology as a discipline. This occurred throughout Europe and the United States in the late 19th century. However, historians have even claimed that the concept of living in balance with nature dates back to times as old as Aristotle.

The first relevant publications focused on the development of ecology were those that marked the beginning of this new branch of science. At first it even had some detractors, specifically ecology was criticized by biologists, but it did not take long to win a prominent position in the scientific area.

It was between the 1940s and 1950s that the first ideas about urban ecology began to develop. During the previous years the term had already been used to refer to different things. For example, a group of sociologists used the term 'urban ecology' to talk about their work in Chicago in the 1920s.

It was UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) that established the starting point for urban ecology. It happened when she financially supported the first study that had to do with urban ecology, in 1970.

Over the years this sub-discipline has been able to create its own terms and methodologies for its studies. It is expected that in the not so distant future it will continue to develop new approaches and gain even greater relevance in the scientific world.

Impact

Urban areas represent less than 5% of the land areas on the planet and only half of the existing population is living in urban areas. Despite this, the damage they do is enormous.

Constructions have contributed to depleting or damaging existing natural resources, the same effect that certain economic activities of human beings have had that have been based on the exploitation of the planet's resources, many of them non-renewable.

The responsible use of water has been one of the main objectives of urban ecology, as well as the management of waste or the correct use of energy.

The pollution of the atmosphere, the lakes and the oceans, the extinction of some species or even the proliferation of others are some examples of the impact of urban planning.

Beginning

In 2008, five principles were proposed on which urban ecology was based. At that time it was established that cities were ecosystems and that they have several characteristics or elements that compose them.

Cities also live in constant change or evolution. In cities, events of a human nature and others of natural origin are evidenced at the same time. And as a last principle it was established that ecology is always present.

Over time, these principles developed and became more specific, in order to discuss the different methodologies present in urban ecology and also to delve into the link between disciplines.

Then 13 standards were created on which urban ecology is based. These laws have been in charge of identifying the main points of interest on which science focuses, as well as creating links with other areas of knowledge. They help establish the ways in which to act.

These 13 principles are likewise closely linked with the five exposed at the beginning in 2008 and speak of different aspects of urban ecology.

The ecosystem

Six of the established principles in urban ecology refer to the ecosystem. For example, when it is said that cities are communities of living organisms in a continuous relationship with the physical environment they inhabit.

In addition, it is established that in urban areas there is also the presence of vegetation and water resources. Another principle delves into the flora and fauna present in these areas and how it can vary depending on the geography in which it is found.

Heterogeneity

The most obvious principle concerns how urban areas are made up of elements of different kinds or nature.

With dynamism

It has been established that urban planning and the development of urban areas can often be considered as ecological experiments.

Links

The flow of water is something of concern, despite the fact that more than 70% of the planet is made up of this liquid. Desalination processes are becoming more and more expensive and that is why one principle of urban ecology refers to the flow of water.

It has been agreed that the supply of this liquid is something that worries all the urbanized territories and that in turn connects each region with each other.

In addition, the use of land and natural resources extends to other areas with rural characteristics, which makes the impact much broader.

Ecological processes

One of the principles establishes that in urban areas there is a continuous process of development that arises as a consequence of the economic, social and even cultural context in which they occur.

Experiences of urban ecology in Latin America

Communities in Latin America have had a significant exodus to urban areas where they can achieve and enjoy a better quality of life. It is in the cities where there are better communication routes, greater access to basic services, such as water and electricity, as well as better social and economic conditions.

This is why the development of urban areas in Latin America has had an accelerated and also disproportionate growth, whose impacts have also been negative on many occasions.

Currently it is believed that more than 80% of the people who live in these territories are in urbanized areas. A number that does not show signs of decreasing or staying fixed, so it has already been estimated that within 30 years the figure will rise another 10%.

Some countries have taken action and are creating norms and standards that must be followed when developing urban areas. Hence the concept of sustainable cities was born, so that pollution and the impact on the ecosystem in general do not have a negative impact on the quality of life of any species.

In Bogota Colombia

In Bogotá they have been working since 2014 on a plan that allows them to protect the natural vegetation of Colombia. The idea consists of creating a corridor that serves to care for the existing species in the Thomas van der Hammen Forest Reserve.

The work has not been easy. The area is of great interest for the urban development of the city, but it is also considered as the largest ecological park in Latin America.

The mayor of Bogotá, for example, wants to build houses in that territory, as well as new communication routes that connect with other parts of Colombia. The swamps have suffered greatly from this type of construction, as well as from mining.

Bogotá has also been a very positive example for other Latin American cities, since since 1999 it has received multiple awards for its urban development.

The ecological capital of Brazil

One of the cities of Brazil is known as the ecological capital of the country. This is the case of Curitiba, where they have made an effort to educate their citizens to be responsible with the environment. They even have a school where knowledge on ecological issues is imparted to communities.

One of the successes of Curitiba was the creation of the program La trash is not trash. Almost the entire population is aware of the importance of recycling and they have even been awarded for their contribution to the environment.

Projects in Chile

Multiple cases on urban ecology in Chile have been exposed in scientific journals. The impacts in this country have been especially felt in its basins and in the decrease of certain species typical of the Chilean ecosystem.

There is the Green Corridors project that aims to contribute to the development of urban ecology in the country.

References

1. Alberti, M. (2009). Advances in urban ecology. New York: Springer.
2. Gaston, K. (2010). Urban ecology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
3. Marzluff, J. (2008). Urban ecology. New York, NY: Springer Science + Business media.
4. Niemelä, J., Breuste, J., Elmqvist Thomas, Guntenspergen Glenn, James Philip, & McIntyre Nancy E. (2011). Urban ecology. Oxford
5. Steiner, F., & Forman, R. (2016). Human Ecology. Washington: Island Press.