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IMG_3735
This is an image of a deer skull located in Guilford Woods. I came across scattered deer bones while doing field work for one of my classes at UMD on September 14th. There are many ecological concepts that could be discussed for this image. Most importantly, it is a sign of wildlife inhabiting pockets of natural areas within a heavily developed/populated region. While the deer is obviously no longer living, the presence of its bones are evidence of wildlife living within this relatively small patch of forest. It is also important to note that the lack of skin and flesh on the bones could signify that other carnivorous and scavenging species are inhabiting this area as well - potentially signifying that this is a relatively healthy ecosystem.
The UN Sustainable Development Goal that I chose to discuss is goal 15: Life on Land. This SDG seeks to use the land and its resources in a sustainable manner and to minimize land degradation, such as deforestation. By doing this, biodiversity loss can be minimized and potentially irreversible landscape changes can be prevented.
This image relates to SDG 15 in a few ways. The first way is that this patch of forest, known as Guilford Woods, was recently subjected to being deforested. There were plans to clear the land and build new apartments for the University of Maryland, however, student-led groups, along with faculty and the local community, came together to halt this project and save the woods. By preventing this area from being deforested, and shifting the construction plans to focus on utilizing already-developed land, the values of SDG 15 were embodied. As a result of this, we can see that wildlife has been able to use this area as a refuge from the highly developed surrounding area of College Park. It is extremely important that in urban areas we maintain wild places for organisms to seek shelter and other resources necessary for their survival. One of the counterarguments to conserving Guilford woods was that it was relatively isolated from other wild areas (habitat fragmentation), and therefore it was less valuable for preserving biodiversity anyways. While it is true that fragmented habitats are less suitable for organisms, a study in PNAS found that in urban areas, conserving these isolated patches of wild areas was equally as important for efforts to protect biodiversity (Lindenmayer). This is because for many species, these areas are the last remaining “strongholds” of their original territory (Lindenmayer). Were these patches of wild areas to be decimated, the biodiversity in the region could be entirely lost. Many species have adapted to use these patches as shelter for when they are not venturing out into urban areas in search of further resources (Lindenmayer).
Lindenmayer, David. “Small Patches Make Critical Contributions to Biodiversity Conservation.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 116, no. 3, 2018, pp. 717–719., doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1820169116.
IMG_3735
This is an image of a deer skull located in Guilford Woods. I came across scattered deer bones while doing field work for one of my classes at UMD on September 14th. There are many ecological concepts that could be discussed for this image. Most importantly, it is a sign of wildlife inhabiting pockets of natural areas within a heavily developed/populated region. While the deer is obviously no longer living, the presence of its bones are evidence of wildlife living within this relatively small patch of forest. It is also important to note that the lack of skin and flesh on the bones could signify that other carnivorous and scavenging species are inhabiting this area as well - potentially signifying that this is a relatively healthy ecosystem.
The UN Sustainable Development Goal that I chose to discuss is goal 15: Life on Land. This SDG seeks to use the land and its resources in a sustainable manner and to minimize land degradation, such as deforestation. By doing this, biodiversity loss can be minimized and potentially irreversible landscape changes can be prevented.
This image relates to SDG 15 in a few ways. The first way is that this patch of forest, known as Guilford Woods, was recently subjected to being deforested. There were plans to clear the land and build new apartments for the University of Maryland, however, student-led groups, along with faculty and the local community, came together to halt this project and save the woods. By preventing this area from being deforested, and shifting the construction plans to focus on utilizing already-developed land, the values of SDG 15 were embodied. As a result of this, we can see that wildlife has been able to use this area as a refuge from the highly developed surrounding area of College Park. It is extremely important that in urban areas we maintain wild places for organisms to seek shelter and other resources necessary for their survival. One of the counterarguments to conserving Guilford woods was that it was relatively isolated from other wild areas (habitat fragmentation), and therefore it was less valuable for preserving biodiversity anyways. While it is true that fragmented habitats are less suitable for organisms, a study in PNAS found that in urban areas, conserving these isolated patches of wild areas was equally as important for efforts to protect biodiversity (Lindenmayer). This is because for many species, these areas are the last remaining “strongholds” of their original territory (Lindenmayer). Were these patches of wild areas to be decimated, the biodiversity in the region could be entirely lost. Many species have adapted to use these patches as shelter for when they are not venturing out into urban areas in search of further resources (Lindenmayer).
Lindenmayer, David. “Small Patches Make Critical Contributions to Biodiversity Conservation.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 116, no. 3, 2018, pp. 717–719., doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1820169116.