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The impact of projected increases in urbanization on ecosystem services

The impact of projected increases in urbanization on ecosystem services
The impact of projected increases in urbanization on ecosystem services
Alteration in land use is likely to be a major driver of changes in the distribution of ecosystem services before 2050. In Europe, urbanization will likely be the main cause of land use change. This increase in urbanization will result in spatial shifts in both supplies of ecosystem services and the beneficiaries of those services; the net outcome of such shifts remains to be determined. Here, we model changes in urban land cover in Britain based on large (16%) projected increases in human population by 2031, and the consequences for three different services - flood mitigation, agricultural production and carbon storage. We show that under a scenario of densification of urban areas, the combined effect of increasing population and loss of permeable surfaces is likely to result in 1.8 million people living within 1 km of rivers with at least 10% increases in projected peak flows, but that increasing suburban ‘sprawl’ will have little effect on flood mitigation services. Conversely, losses of stored carbon and agricultural production are three times as high under the ‘sprawl’ as under the ‘densification’ urban growth scenarios. Our results illustrate the challenges of meeting, but also of predicting, future demands and patterns of ecosystem services in the face of increasing urbanization.
agricultural production, carbon storage, densification, flood risk, natural capital, urban ecology
1471-2954
Eigenbrod, F.
43efc6ae-b129-45a2-8a34-e489b5f05827
Bell, V.A.
94eaea77-cb0b-4868-ae11-810e7d186a14
Davies, H.N.
35b6a215-26fb-4187-aff5-cb9fd555756e
Heinemeyer, A.
292bd3b7-6257-4609-b8d2-7fa0a24df1bb
Armsworth, P.R.
23d3bcc0-2207-4a69-b07a-bef630c69a78
Gaston, K.J.
59168b41-d7ef-41e5-8eaf-6af5d6c6f7f3
Eigenbrod, F.
43efc6ae-b129-45a2-8a34-e489b5f05827
Bell, V.A.
94eaea77-cb0b-4868-ae11-810e7d186a14
Davies, H.N.
35b6a215-26fb-4187-aff5-cb9fd555756e
Heinemeyer, A.
292bd3b7-6257-4609-b8d2-7fa0a24df1bb
Armsworth, P.R.
23d3bcc0-2207-4a69-b07a-bef630c69a78
Gaston, K.J.
59168b41-d7ef-41e5-8eaf-6af5d6c6f7f3

Eigenbrod, F., Bell, V.A., Davies, H.N., Heinemeyer, A., Armsworth, P.R. and Gaston, K.J. (2011) The impact of projected increases in urbanization on ecosystem services. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. (doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.2754). (PMID:21389035)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Alteration in land use is likely to be a major driver of changes in the distribution of ecosystem services before 2050. In Europe, urbanization will likely be the main cause of land use change. This increase in urbanization will result in spatial shifts in both supplies of ecosystem services and the beneficiaries of those services; the net outcome of such shifts remains to be determined. Here, we model changes in urban land cover in Britain based on large (16%) projected increases in human population by 2031, and the consequences for three different services - flood mitigation, agricultural production and carbon storage. We show that under a scenario of densification of urban areas, the combined effect of increasing population and loss of permeable surfaces is likely to result in 1.8 million people living within 1 km of rivers with at least 10% increases in projected peak flows, but that increasing suburban ‘sprawl’ will have little effect on flood mitigation services. Conversely, losses of stored carbon and agricultural production are three times as high under the ‘sprawl’ as under the ‘densification’ urban growth scenarios. Our results illustrate the challenges of meeting, but also of predicting, future demands and patterns of ecosystem services in the face of increasing urbanization.

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More information

Published date: 9 March 2011
Keywords: agricultural production, carbon storage, densification, flood risk, natural capital, urban ecology

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 181871
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/181871
ISSN: 1471-2954
PURE UUID: c09514bd-3fdc-439f-b1b1-42c1bf838c47
ORCID for F. Eigenbrod: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8982-824X

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Date deposited: 26 Apr 2011 09:17
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:36

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Contributors

Author: F. Eigenbrod ORCID iD
Author: V.A. Bell
Author: H.N. Davies
Author: A. Heinemeyer
Author: P.R. Armsworth
Author: K.J. Gaston

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