Creating Natural Landscapes:

 Some specialists from Ducks Unlimited came into talk to our class about designing natural landscapes that will succeed. They talked to us about the benefits of having natural storm water retention ponds and engineered wetlands and the good that they can do for the environment. They help regulate the algal blooms that start to make their way down to Lake Winnipeg (which has been named the most threatened lake in the world). Planting the right plants in these retention ponds and engineered wetlands can help protect the species of animals in the ponds. They also help to prevent Canadian Geese problems. Engineered wetlands can help regulate landscapes that have been altered by displaced water from electric dams.

 

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Article 1:

 There has been a dramatic shift in urban living, more than 95% of the net increase in global population will be in cities of the developing world. There are 5 major types of global and environmental change; land use and land cover change accompany urbanization, altered biogeochemical cycles in cities and their regional to global effects, urbanization and climate change, human modification of hydrologic systems, and biodiversity changes in cities. These 5 changes mean that things affects like urban dwellers depending on the productivity and assimilative qualities of ecosystems well beyond their city boundaries will begin to pop up around the world much sooner than we think

 

Article 2:

 Cities are growing and both population and size. The way that water is distributed across the globe will have to change. An average of 100 million more people will experience water shortages by 2050. This statistic stays consistent through all climate change scenarios. Urban populations can be divided into 3 categories that reflect their perennial water shortages; water scarcity at 100 km, water demand by expanding buffer, and no perennial water scarcity at 100km. Water shortages will hit hardest in Africa and India. Some infrastructure solutions to the water shortage problem are seasonal cities include more dams and water shortage, coastal cities may want to take the salt water and turn it into fresh water, and cities on aquifers could make use of ground water. The problems are solvable but will take time money, and political effort to succeed. 

 

image: http://bowrivershuttles.blogspot.ca/2012/09/engineered-wetlands-tour-fish-creek.html