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Most of the world’s population live in urban centres. But despite our desire to live where the action is, we humans still generally crave a connection with the natural world. Waterways and estuaries are just one of the natural features of New Zealand’s urban centres. The knowledge of how urbanisation impacts upon these aquatic environments (and, most importantly, how we can reduce those effects) is therefore essential to ensuring these waterbodies remain healthy for future generations.
At EOS, our expertise in urban ecology has been used in the following projects:
- Developing guides for urban development and infrastructure;
- Assessing the impacts of urban-derived contaminants on freshwater and estuary fauna;
- Predicting the effect of land-use change on existing aquatic systems; and
- Designing naturalised waterways that are sequestered from the stormwater network.
Because even manmade environments can support aquatic life, the field of urban ecology continues to expand alongside the urban spread. From monitoring the proliferation of mosquito larvae in manmade systems such as stormwater basins and roadside sumps, to assessing the ecological values of stormwater treatment systems, we don’t limit ourselves to studying the typical aquatic environments.
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| Low impact urban design features such as permeable pavers can help reduce the impacts of urbanisation on our waterways. |
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