Land use conflicts

Question 1

National park conflicts

Answer 1

Erosion
Congestion
Disturbed wildlife
Litter
Displaced local community
Different recreational uses

Question 2

Major land use conflicts

Answer 2

Urban expansion
Transport developments
Mining/quarrying
Harnessing energy
Recreation/ tourism
waste disposal

Question 3

Urban expansion

Answer 3

Caused by changes in population
Many new housing estates are on urban green areas
Causes an increase in overcrowding/congestion
Overcrowding/congestion reduce quality of life

Question 4

Transport developments

Answer 4

Road schemes
Proposed/enlarged airports
Port developments

Question 5

Road schemes

Answer 5

Road usage has increased in the last 50 years
Higher affluence led to more transported goods
Congestion has led to the need for new roads

Question 6

Controversial road schemes

Answer 6

M3 extension at Twyford Down
A34 Newbury bypass
A66 Temple Somerby bypass
M6 toll road

Question 7

Proposed/ enlarged airports

Answer 7

Growth of air travel requires more/bigger airports
Usually results in loss of farmland, habitats, rural communities
Noise and congestion

Question 8

Controversial airport developments

Answer 8

Heathrow terminal 5, proposed 3rd runway, terminal 6
Manchester airport 2nd runway
Expansion of Stansted airport

Question 9

Port developments

Answer 9

Increased trade in and out of UK carried by boat
Ports need to be in sheltered areas
Generally involve destruction of sensitive habitats
Eg. mudflats

Question 10

Controversial port developments

Answer 10

Container port, Dibden bay, Southampton water
Container port, Harwich, Essex
Oil terminals, Milford Haven, Wales

Question 11

Mining/quarrying

Answer 11

Minerals can only be extracted from large deposits
Alluvial deposits are essential for building construction
Often extracted from fertile farmland with high population densities

Question 12

Case study- glensanda super quarry

Answer 12

West coast of Scotland
Produced huge amounts of granite
Roads, airport runways, lining the Channel Tunnel
Coastal location allows ship exportation
One large quarry focuses the environmental impact into one place

Question 13

Harnessing energy

Answer 13

Wind farms
Hydroelectric power stations
Tidal barrages
Used because alternatives could have worse impacts
Eg. nuclear or tidal?

Question 14

Wind farms

Answer 14

Windiest places are usually the most scenically attractive
Wind farms usually spoil views
Noise is a problem for locals
Habitat loss is created around the base of the tower
Rotating blades can kill birds, especially on migration routes
Sensitive wind farms avoid areas which create these problems

Question 15

Hydroelectric power stations

Answer 15

HEP stations

Usually located in areas of great scenic value

Question 16

Case study- Dinorwig HEP station

Answer 16

Built in Snowdonia national park 1980’s
Reduced environmental impacts in several ways
Turbine/generator rooms built underground
Pipe between reservoirs built underground
Landscaped using waste from derelict slate quarries
Power lines underground so no pylons needed

Question 17

Tidal barrages

Answer 17

Tidal flows have high potential for energy generation
High impact on sensitive estuary sites
Shipping disrupted
Pressure on quarries

Question 18

Recreation/tourism

Answer 18

Increasing tourists increase congestion, trampling, facilities required
Different tourist groups can conflict

Question 19

Waste disposal

Answer 19

Landfills are smelly, take up land, release methane
Incinerators are unpopular with locals
Recycling is optimal but lacks public cooperation

Question 20

Methods of resolving land use conflicts

Answer 20

Planning controls
Space zoning
Time zoning
Assessing environmental impacts
Cost benefit analysis

Question 21

Planning controls

Answer 21

Developments must have planning permission
Process begins with planning application
Depending on type of development public inquiries are made
All interested parties can have their say
Independent inspector makes report for secretary of state
Secretary of state makes final decision

Question 22

Areas with strict planning controls

Answer 22

National parks
Green belts
Green wedges

Question 23

National parks

Answer 23

No new urban developments allowed
Only allows essential or highly desired developments
New housing only permitted for locals
Buildings must use same materials and techniques as existing buildings

Question 24

Green belts

Answer 24

Administered by DEFRA
Planning permission only granted if necessary
Eg. bigger road for less congestion

Question 25

Aims of green belts

Answer 25

Protect countryside from urban sprawl
Prevent urban areas from merging
Reduce congestion
Maintain character of each urban area
Encourage urban regeneration

Question 26

Problems with green belts

Answer 26

Shortage of land pushes house prices up
Encourages development of urban green areas
Leapfrogging

Question 27

Green wedges

Answer 27

Same purpose as green belts
Discourages leapfrogging
Provides green corridors

Question 28

Space zoning

Answer 28

Allocates different areas for different activities
Reduces conflict
Eg. mountain biking and walking

Question 29

Case study- Poole harbour

Answer 29

Large, relatively shallow estuary
Heavily used by people
Great importance to wildlife
All users must abide by general restrictions
10 knot speed limit
6 knot speed limit in quiet areas
Waterskiing, jet skis windsurfing/kitesurfing, scuba diving, conservation all have different areas allocated
Commercial ships have priority in main channels

Question 30

Time zoning

Answer 30

Allocating different time periods to different activities

Question 31

Case study- Westport Lake Nature Reserve, Stoke-On-Trent

Answer 31

Westport Lake is developed from a flooded clay pit
Sailing is permitted on the largest lake in summer only
Winter is used by migratory water birds

Question 32

Case study- Golf course at Starcross, Devon

Answer 32

Golf is not allowed october through to march

Grass provides important food supply for migratory Brent Geese

Question 33

Assessing Environmental impacts

Answer 33

Leopold matrix

EIA

Question 34

Leopold matrix

Answer 34

Method of comparing impacts of proposed development
Considers each impact separately
Considers severity of each impact
All physical, biological, social aspects considered
All impacts given score 1-10 for importance
All impacts given score 1-10 for magnitude
Prevents to much importance being put on one impact

Question 35

EIA

Answer 35

Environmental impact assessment
Must be followed before planning permission is granted
EU scheme
Ensures all possible impacts are considered
Allows for modifications or alternatives

Question 36

Stages of an EIA

Answer 36

Description of proposal
Description of environment
Description of impact
Project modifications
Project alternatives
Non technical summary
Public summary published

Question 37

Cost benefit analysis

Answer 37

CBA
Gives financial value to all impacts and benefits of proposal
Can be difficult to give financial values
If costs exceed benefits, proposal is rejected

Question 38

Example CBA costs for proposed mine

Answer 38

Land, labour, material costs for access roads,
Cost of land for the mine,
Labour, machinery, fuel for mine operations
Lost income from tourism/ visitors
Reduced house value

Question 39

Example CBA benefits for proposed mine

Answer 39

Increased local employment
Improved transport access for local industries
Future use of mine eg. country park

Question 40

Case study- Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Answer 40

Home to many important wildlife species
Eg. lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, giraffes, hippos
Famous for annual wildebeast migration
Grazing wildlife compete with local livestock
Growing crops interrupts migrations
Growing crops is better money
Herdsmen get little money from tourism
Tourism is important to kenyan economy
Best option is to pay farmers using tourism money to tolerate wildlife