Industrial News

The study looked at songbird, mammal, and plant communities of clustered housing developments, dispersed housing developments and undeveloped areas in Boulder, CO. It was found that the cluster developments did no more to conserve sensitive plant and wildlife communities than did dispersed housing developments.

“It is important for those of us living in rural areas to realize that we have an impact on the plant and wildlife communities that surround us. Our presence, along with roads, houses, exotic plants, bird feeders, and garbage tends to attract a new suite of plant and wildlife species more tolerant of disturbance and human activity. While housing developments can be designed to reduce these effects, our stewardship of the lands surrounding our houses plays a crucial role in mitigating these impacts,” says head researcher, Buffy A. Lenth.

The study contends that policies need to be reformed to create clustered developments with more rigorous ecological guidelines and coordination on a regional scale to develop higher conservation value.

This study is published in Conservation Biology. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article please contact bos.blackwellpublishing.net.

Buffy Lenth is available for questions or interview by e-mail.

Over the past 20 years, Conservation Biology has become the most influential and frequently cited journal in its field. Nature calls this title "required reading for ecologists throughout the world." The journal continues to publish groundbreaking papers and remains instrumental in defining the key issues contributing to the study and preservation of species and habitats.

For more information, please visit: www.blackwellpublishing.com/cbi

Blackwell Publishing is the world’s leading society publisher, partnering with 665 academic and professional societies. Blackwell publishes over 800 journals and, to date, has published more than 6,000 books, across a wide range of academic, medical, and professional subjects.