Urban development refers to a term used to describe the capability of the city’s developed infrastructure and services. For instance, it resulted in advancements in culture and the sciences, expected to rise with growing urbanization. Cultures integrate more easily the closer people are to one another and the more they interact, cooperate and communicate. Additionally, greater living conditions and educational opportunities might foster more active social and recreational lifestyles (Gupta & Sharma, 2020). This paper discusses urban development and its potential negative effects on wildlife and the environment.
Urban development strengthens the nation’s commercial sectors by generating more jobs and a mixed economy. A large network of products and services has contributed to creating contemporary commercial institutions and exchanges, facilitating urban areas’ expansion. Commercialization and trade give towns and cities better economic chances and profits than rural areas (Gupta & Sharma, 2020). Moreover, urban development connects the major industry sectors in cities, including transportation, services, and information technology. Thus, easy accessibility from one sector to another.
However, despite its advantages urban development has extensive negative effects on wildlife and the environment. Firstly, over-exploitation of natural resources since natural resource consumption increases, urban ecological footprints grow in developing and industrialized nations due to increased population density, such as water, energy, and fossil fuel (Gupta & Sharma, 2020). Due to people’s expensive way of life, it is impossible to achieve the immediate restitution of natural resources, leading to issues such as lack of clean drinking water and power outages from excessive electricity use, among others. Secondly, Pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hazardous metals, and others are released into the air due to human activity in numerous sectors (Gupta & Sharma, 2020). When they are released into the atmosphere, a chemical reaction occurs that leads to acid rain.
Thirdly, urban regions are more susceptible to noise pollution due to traffic, social gatherings, and industry, which disrupts breeding cycles and may even accelerate the extinction of some species of animals (Gupta & Sharma, 2020). Fourthly, the development of Slums which are described as urban or rural regions lacking access to essential services. Sewage flows unevenly because of poor sanitation, draining into nearby streams, rivers, lakes, and seas (Gupta & Sharma, 2020). More than 1 billion people reside in various regions of the world, spreading illnesses such as cholera or enteric fever, a severe threat to the population.
On the other hand, wildlife habitat is getting more fragmented, and plant and animal populations are becoming more isolated as urban development spreads across the terrain. The ability of these species to reproduce is hampered by habitat fragmentation, and the genetic diversity of the surviving populations is, however, decreased (Gupta & Sharma, 2020). Furthermore, it lessens the habitat that is necessary for their survival.
Moreover, there has been an upsurge in human-animal conflict as habitat is fragmented by human activity, leaving wildlife nowhere to go. Animals are hit by vehicles, killed when they fly into windows of buildings and cars, and occasionally enter human settlements in search of food and other necessities for survival. When wildlife acts aggressively or preys on domestic or farm animals, it may be necessary to kill them (Gupta & Sharma, 2020). Regrettably, only a small number of hardy species can eventually adapt and endure in an urban setting and close contact with humans.
In summary, urban development is the process of a city’s physical, social, cultural, and economic growth and the study of the underlying factors that influence these developments. The creation of more jobs, a more diverse economy, and advancements in the arts and sciences have aided in developing the nation’s business sectors. However, this urban development process greatly impacts the environment and wildlife. Some repercussions include an unusual rise in temperature, air pollution, the development of slums, the over-exploitation of natural resources, habitat fragmentation and isolation of wildlife and plant populations, an increase in human-wildlife conflicts, and a loss of connection to nature.
Reference
Gupta, A., & Sharma, M. (2020). Consequences of urbanization on wildlife survival in India and USA – Relevance of adoption of legislations. SSRN Electronic Journal.