Land Use Concepts and Classification Flashcards
What is the basic premise of the Tragedy of the Commons theory?
The tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain
What is an externality?
The cost or benefit of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price of that good or service
What is a positive externality? Give an example.
Is a positive benefit or cost of a product not included in its price. Ex. Honey produced by bees that fertilize crops.
What is a negative externality? Give an example.
Is a negative benefit or cost of a product not included in its price. Ex. Pollution, Deforestation, etc
Describe the concept of maximum sustainable yield (MSY).
The MSY is the maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without compromising the future availability of the resource
Why do MSY practices strive to keep the resource population at about one half the carrying capacity?
In theory, a population grows at its maximum rate when its at approximately half the carrying capacity
Take a good look at figure 29.6 on p.336. What is the majority of land used for in the US?
Grasslands
What are rangelands?
A dry open grassland primarily used for grazing of cattle
Compare and contrast clear-cutting and selective cutting.
Clear cutting: removes almost or all trees in an area
Selective cutting: the removal of single trees or a relatively small number of trees from among many in a forest
Which of the practices above is more profitable? Which is more sustainable?
Clear cutting is more profitable but selective cutting is more sustainable.
What are some specific negative consequences of clearcutting
Reduction in biodiversity, destroys forest ecosystems, deprives animals of natural habitats, etc.
What are tree plantations?
A large area typically planted with a single rapidly growing species
What are the pros and cons of tree plantations?
Can deplete the soil, no biodiversity
Easy cut for commercial purposes
Why would forest managers allow certain natural fires to burn? What are the benefits?
Helps reduce risks for future uncontrolled burns, burns dead biomass
What is the difference between a wildlife refuge and a national wilderness area?
A national refuge area has a primary purpose of protecting wildlife while a wilderness area have an intent of protecting ecosystems and landscapes
Is residential land use increasing or decreasing in the US?
increasing
Define urban sprawl and go over the examples given in the book.
Urbanized areas that spread into rural areas, removing clear boundaries between the two.
What is urban blight?
The degradation of the built and social environments of the city that often accompanies and accelerates migration to the suburbs
What is zoning?
A planning tool used to separate industry and business from residential neighborhoods
What is multi-use zoning? How does it decrease automobile use?
allows retail and high-density urban areas to coexist in the same area.
What are the characteristics of Smart Growth?
Is a set of principles for community planning that focuses to create sustainable healthy communities.
Characteristics: Mixed land-use, housing opportunities, walkable neighborhoods, attractive communities, compact building design, develop existing communities,
What is the energy subsidy?
The fossil fuel energy and human energy input per calories of food consumed
Water logging
Soil degradation that occurs when soil remains under water for prolonged period
Salinization
Soil degradation that occurs when the small amounts of salts in irrigation water becomes highly concentrated on the soil surface through evaporation
