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It is impossible to separate human activities from nature. Even in those places of untamed rivers and wild animals, landscapes often bear signs of human impact—perhaps an invasive species, a pollutant, or the absence of an animal long ago exterminated. About half of the world’s surface area has already been converted to either grazed land or agricultural crops. This human footprint is deep: slash-and-burn agricultural techniques may have been used in the Amazon and Congo more than 1,000 years ago. Today, less than one-fifth of the world’s land area has escaped some form of human contact, whether a large development or a simple nighttime light.
Land is a limited resource, and one that we are quickly developing and fragmenting, making it unusable for crops or for wildlife. Look no further than Chicagoland: the six-county region is predicted to grow by 1.9 million people and 1.2 million jobs over the next 25 years. In only two decades, between 1970 and 1990, residential land in Chicago was devoured at a rate 11 times faster than the population was growing. But it’s not just more homes that are consuming land—commercial and industrial lands also grew at tremendous rates in the same period of time, exceeding population growth by 74 percent.
Poorly planned growth claims thousands of acres of open land each decade. That open land includes high quality farmlands as well as natural, undeveloped areas. When buildings and people encroach on these lands, it affects more than just farmers. It affects wildlife: as their homes become increasingly fragmented, it becomes harder for them to find food, shelter and breeding grounds, and it is more difficult to maintain migratory patterns necessary for their survival. It affects people who enjoy spending time outdoors, as their recreational opportunities get eaten up by spreading home developments and shopping malls. As natural resources become more strained, so does our comfort and well-being. More asphalt means more ground covered and heightened flooding, more developments mean fewer aesthetic views, more concrete means more uncomfortable summer temperatures.
Rapid, poorly planned urban development is the primary threat to the remaining unprotected natural lands in and near Chicago. Breaking land into smaller fragments can be devastating to certain animals, like birds that can only breed in large, continuous habitats. Fragmentation has happened in the past, and it’s what is likely to happen in the future. In fact, over the next 25 years, more than 22,000 acres of natural resources and habitat will be lost to development in rapidly growing areas like Chicago and other metropolises.
What The Nature Conservancy Is Doing.
Chicago, for all its urban density, also contains some of the best remnants of Midwestern wilderness, like eastern tallgrass prairies and open oak woodlands. The Indian Boundary Prairies, a cluster of four prairies south of Chicago, are all that remain of the lakeplain prairie that once extended along the western shores of Lake Michigan. The Conservancy works with Northeastern Illinois University, a major landowner and partner at the Indian Boundary Prairies, to be stewards of these prairie remnants. The Conservancy also works with groups like Chicago Wilderness to protect and promote other natural areas in and around Chicago.
Action starts when people talk.
In the midst of dire warnings about poorly planned urban development and its negative impact on people and wildlife, there are reasons for hope and things we can do as individuals. First, start a conversation about the issue with friends, family and colleagues. Take a look at our Conversation Starters. And, learn more about our work by visiting related projects on the Conservancy’s Web site, nature.org.
