Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
regional natural areas, including biological reserves, military reservations,
greenbelts, farms, and backyards. Together they can provide a rich regional
habitat mosaic.
In subirdia, augmenting natural lands by developing recreational areas,
such as golf courses, on degraded land can increase biological diversity. W hen
courses have substantial areas of native vegetation and productive wetlands
that are not surrounded by dense homes but instead meld seamlessly into
other less developed lands, they can become true urban oases. The resort in
South Africa, for example, could have reduced isolation of existing natural
lands if, instead of being situated in expansive Strandveld, it was built on ex-
isting, degraded agricultural or mine lands. Course construction could have
included substantial restoration of native species. In these places young golf-
ers become birders, and old golfers on the nineteenth hole talk of birdies on
the green and in the trees.
Urban land is often too expensive for most conservation budgets. It is not sur-
prising therefore that nature reserves are rare in the city. Nor should it be
surprising that tolerant nature l ocks to the fragments of habitat that exist
elsewhere in the city. Because of their relatively large size and inclusion of set-
aside or lightly used lands, many businesses and recreational sites are de facto
urban natural areas. The size of such sites matters to many birds. In Seattle,
forest birds exist primarily on larger patches of city forest, those of at least 100
acres. Similarly, in South Africa, patches of remnant Strandveld smaller than
125 acres were unsuitable for most native birds. Conserving areas of such sub-
stantial size may be possible only if they simultaneously provide other, tradi-
t iona l monet a r y ret ur ns. G ol f courses, busi ness pa rk s, a nd cor porate ca mpuses
deliver such revenues and, with some consideration for the use, type, and
arrangement of the lands they include, can help conserve common and even
