3-6: Land Use Issues

Importance of this Unit to the Course

Humans have transformed a large fraction of highly productive land to other uses. Related changes in solar energy absorption, surface water recycling, erosion, and ecosystem services have been touched upon in other units. Land use is a key to sustainability.

Objectives

To examine patterns of land use and understand the role of land use in global change.
To explore how land use changes relate to changes of local, regional, and global climate.

Preparation for Discussion (You must complete this section before class.)

Read the summary information

Take the Quiz over the summary information. (see your portfolio)

Review additional reading material (this material is not covered in the quiz, but offers more ideas for online discussion)

New Species Created at Rainforest Margins

Discussion (online / face-to-face) (See your portfolio for due dates and times)

A major component of the course is participation in the online dialog. The following types of comments are required:

Social Comments
Knowledge-building Comments
Ethical Comments

The following may be used as discussion starters for the online dialog:

Unit Problem to Ponder:

What has been the environmental impacts of the thousands of miles of agricultural drainage tiles that have been installed in the Uniteds States Midwest?
Unit exam questions from previous years
Unit discussions from previous years, available from the current online discussion page

Additional Reading