Ecological Response to Evaluation of Current Regional Challenges in Australia - Term Paper Example

Index 1.Introduction 2 2.Forces Influencing Urban Planning 3 3.Ecology and Urban Spatial Planning 3 3.1.Changes in Climatic Conditions 4 3.2.Water Sensitivity 4 3.3.Landscape Issues 5 3.4.Marine Life and Endangered Species 5 4.Current Challenges for State or Government Commonwealth Policy 6 4.1.Changing Climatic Conditions 6 4.2.Carbon Emissions and Pollution 6 4.3.Waste Management 7 4.4.Water and Land Management 7 4.5.Environmental Reporting, Non Compliance and Lack of Planning 7 5.The Issue of Sustainability 8 6.Recommendations 9 7.Conclusion 10 8.References 12 Ecological Response to Spatial Planning Initiatives and Evaluation of Current Regional Challenges for State and Commonwealth Government Policy in Australia 1. Introduction Australia is one of the progressive countries which has a reported highly ratio of urban societies. Economic growth supported by increasing population and high degrees of urbanization in the region has called for formal urban planning in Australia. As a result Australia has a dynamic approach to the management and planning for urbanization. The government in the region is a common wealth based on provincial governments. As a result the policies for urbanization are custom built for the different provinces. The provinces in the commonwealth have their respective legislation and are responsible for managing the implementation of the policies and related plans in their respective regions. The development of the current urbanization policies is largely a by product of Australia’s colonial history, with significant attention paid to the changing European and North American development in policies pertaining to spatial planning and urbanization. In the recent years, a cohesive approach has been taken by the federal government to integrate urban planning and related policies. In this regard the government has strived to respond to the challenges posed to urbanization and the issues that occur as a result of it in a strategic manner. The orientation has been to first deal with the problems on the local level, while complying with commonwealth integrative legislation on the issue. 2. Forces Influencing Urban Planning The need for urban planning has risen in the past decade in Australia, and this has been due to a number of factors. Topping the list is the constant incremental increase in the population of the region. Over the period of time, increasing population and human migration has led to a demand for urban planning. Aside from this the other factors that have influenced urban planning significantly include those pertaining to society, ecology, and the economic developments in the region. Social awareness and need for sustainability have significantly demanded adjustments in urban planning policies, while there has is an increasing need for future planning in this field. The economic conditions, for the region as well as the local microeconomic changes in the commonwealth region has driven urban policies to think over its existing initiatives to counter problems that have arisen and satisfy the developing needs and requirements. Additionally the ecological forces greatly influence urban planning and this is the focal point which is explored in detail in the scope of this paper. 3. Ecology and Urban Spatial Planning Urban Planning as spatial initiatives has been responding to ecological changes; however there exists a cyclical two way relationship between ecology and spatial urban planning which makes it increasingly difficult for the related policy to sustain in the long run without continuous development. The external forces of ecology cannot be controlled and managed for, however urban planning initiatives can be adjusted to reflect the changing economy and provide for sustainability in light of the changes. The ecological concerns that are raised from the urbanization are economic ecology oriented and these issues can be managed for using forward thinking policies, procedures and legislative regulation. The main ecological concerns that impact urban planning pertain to the following: 3.1. Changes in Climatic Conditions The changing climate of the region is one of the major influencing agents regarding the spatial planning initiatives. Specific to the Australian region, it is crucial to plan for and accommodate the changes in the climate as the region is highly volatile in terms of climate. In urban areas specially, the changes in the climate are more pronounced due to the artificial spatial planning in the regions which makes urban areas more susceptible to realize and be adversely effected by the to even small changes in the climate (Bambric et.al, 2011). Some of the climatic changes that affect the spatial initiatives take the form of rainfall causing flooding, coastal erosion, as well as increases in the level of the oceans due to global warming ((Norman, 2010)). The changing temperatures and the resultant change in the marine life, flora and fauna as well increasing incidents of resultant bushfires are of significant importance as well. 3.2. Water Sensitivity Water is one of the main natural resources, which is limited in availability while causing restrictions on spatial planning initiatives. Specific to water, the initiatives need to be sensitive in terms of managing the resource of water in the urban regions in a sustainable and productive manner. The main issue arises when planning has to incorporate future availability of the resources and avoidance of pollution in water resources and tables. 3.3. Landscape Issues The increasing urbanization has changed the landscape in the region. Deforestation is also an issue which has occurred as by product of making way for urban projects and for the development of communities. This has significantly changed the systematic structure of the land based environment. The plant life and vegetation as well as related wildlife as a result are adversely affected. In addition there are also issues pertaining to increased land aridity and land pollution due to lack of sustainable management of these ecological resources. 3.4. Marine Life and Endangered Species Similarly the marine life and bio diversity have come under threat due to urban planning projects. The changes in the environments for marine and aquatic life has resulted a change in their composition, thus endangering species along the way. Moreover the increased pollution and emission of green house gases has also adversely affected future of marine life by causing water resources and their respective ecological environments to become toxic (Williams and West, 2000). 4. Current Challenges for State or Government Commonwealth Policy The following depict some of the challenges faced by the Government Commonwealth Policy regarding the spatial planning initiatives. 4.1. Changing Climatic Conditions The changes in the climatic conditions respective to the increasing temperatures and global warming caused by the human activity are significant in terms of its relationship to urban areas in Australia. However on a macro level the policy has not addressed these issues completely, which can be observed from the delayed response approach that the commonwealth government has taken to adhere to the Kyoto protocol. Additionally compliance to regulation is present for housing and building projects, but regulation is not available for non residential enclosed spaces. 4.2. Carbon Emissions and Pollution Carbon emission and pollution are directly related to adverse effects on the environment and ecology. The majority of the carbon emissions in Australia occur due to the sourcing of energy. Initiatives have been taken to reduce carbon emissions while improving forestry (Brack, 2002). Presently the commonwealth government does not have any programs to cater to trading of carbon scheme but initiatives are being taken to counter this and policy can be adjusted in the future to provide for a carbon trading option. The challenge that will be faced by the government regarding this would be encouraging participation in the scheme while not having an adverse effect on the economical metrics. 4.3. Waste Management Waste management is a by product of urbanization, and concerning the policy initiatives for spatial planning and development in the urban areas, the commonwealth has taken a mixed approach towards policy. The policy is developed on a national level but implemented and regulated on a territorial and local level (Australia Futures Task Force, 2007). However the scarcity of space for landfills and effect of improper or unregulated waste management on the health of humans as well as the adverse effect on the ecological environment are issues that still persist. 4.4. Water and Land Management The management of natural resources has been incorporated in the policy for urban spatial planning by the commonwealth government. This has been done specifically for regulating water usage, regulating water distribution with recycling water with desalination and hydration plants (Barker-Reid and Larsen, 2009). However consistent and significant reform is required to regulate the compliance to the policies across the region, as specific to areas in the Darling Basin problems of natural resources still persist (Australia Futures Task Force, 2007). 4.5. Environmental Reporting, Non Compliance and Lack of Planning Specific to the coastal regions of Australia, ecological issues are paramount due to their close proximity to the oceans and therefore aquatic ecological environments. In this regard local governments as well as government on the national scale has taken into account planning for ecological effects in the spatial initiatives, but some local governments have not done so (Gurran et. al, 2012). This non compliance can result in disparity and incomplete implementation, and the commonwealth policy needs to take into account these disparities. 5. The Issue of Sustainability For spatial planning initiatives for urban development, the issue of sustainability is paramount. Sustainability in this regard pertains to ensuring that the urban spatial projects being undertaken are sustainable over time, while providing for sustainability in the ecological environment as well. Sustainability is the link between ecology and urban planning, where their two way relationship can be both adversely affected, as well as positively managed with well thought planning. The increasingly adverse effects of urbanization on ecology like extreme weather changes, pollution and waste management as explored earlier have called intervention in the form of sustainability plans. The Australian government since December 1999, as a result has incorporated legislation for urban development that focuses on providing sustainable solutions for the highlighted problems on a national level. Specific to spatial and urban planning for housing design and development, the Australian government has invested in sustainability policies that promote raising density in urban areas, while promoting the use of resources in a multiple manner to reduce exploitation and wastage (Crabtree, 2005). In this regard the transport systems in the urban areas have been specially focused upon to reduce the emissions of green house gases and pollutants in the environment by decreasing the need for individual car usage and replacing it with the supportive public transport system. In terms of housing projects (Crabtree, 2005) initiatives have been taken by the commonwealth under codes akin to Green Star and BASIX which are used to aid in the conservation of energy and water resources for building projects. Aside from this the government is also focusing on managing for the waste (DSEWPC, 2011)) while providing sustainable solutions for vegetation by promoting local and regional production on a small scale to ensure self sustaining urban units that have minimal adverse implications on the ecological environment. 6. Recommendations While considerable measures have been taken to account for the ecological changes, and provide for protection and sustainability for both the ecological environment and the urban planning projects, there still exists disparity in terms of what approach should be taken while devising policies for such initiatives (Australia Futures Task Force, 2007). The approach options available include micro level management, or macro level management. They both have their advantages and adverse effects. It is however recommended that the government should seek to develop a combination approach which focuses on policy and legislation made on the macro scale, but implemented and managed on micro level. This can provide for measurable results, in a short time, while the approach is going to0 be sustainable in the long run due to the macro orientation of urban planning initiatives. Additionally for the management of natural resources like water measures and metrics need to be employed to monitor, observe and control. However, long term historical or predictive data pertaining to such measures is not available (Marsh et. al, 2012). In the absence of such information policy making for urban spatial initiatives is restrictive and can result in inaccurate decisions. Regarding this a strategic and national program needs to be implemented which can ensure timely and regular monitoring. Additionally databases regarding such information should be developed and constantly updated on a micro level, with management on a national level. This can help in making better and more accurate policies and urban spatial planning initiatives that correspond better with the ecological environment while encouraging sustainability. 7. Conclusion The Australian government has taken considerable steps to manage and plan for sustainability in the environment, while minimizing the adverse effect that urbanization has on the ecology. Moreover these initiatives have been developed with the objective to withstand changes in the ecological environment and resultant effects on the urbanization planning. However continuous improvement is required in order to sustain development as well as maintain appositive relationship between ecology and urban spatial policy. A holistic approach is required that incorporates region level as well as national level initiatives for the management of urban spatial projects while providing for internal and ecological sustainability. 8. References Australia Futures Task Force, 2007, Challenges and Directions for Australia’s Urban and Regional Future, Report for Task Force formed by the Australian Research Council Research Network in Spatially Integrated Social Science, accessed Bambrick, H.J., Capon, A.G., Barnett, G. B., Beaty, R. M., Burton, A. J., 2011, Climate change and health in the urban environment: adaptation opportunities in Australian cities, Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, vol. 23 no. 2, pp67S-79S. Brack, C.L., 2002, Pollution mitigation and carbon sequestration by an urban forest, Environmental Pollution, vol. 16, supp 1, ppS195–S200 Crabtree, L., 2005, Sustainable Housing Development in Urban Australia: exploring obstacles to and opportunities for ecocity efforts, Australian Geographer, vol. 36 no. 3, p. 333-350 DSEWPC, 2011, Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, accessed Gurran, N., Norman, B., Gilbert, C., Hamin, E., 2011, Planning for climate change adaptation in Coastal Australia: State of practice, Report No. 4 for the National Sea Change Taskforce Larsen, K., Barker-Reid, F., 2009, Adapting to Climate Change and Building Urban Resilience in Australia, Urban Agriculture Magazine, no 22 Marsh, N., Sheldon, F., Wettin, P., Taylor, C., Barma, D., 2012, Guidance on ecological responses and hydrological modeling for low-flow water planning, National Water commission – Australian Government, Waterlines Report Series No 76 Norman, B., 2010, A low carbon and resilient urban future: an integrated approach to planning for climate change, Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Urban & Regional Planning, University of Canberra. Williams, J.A., West, C.J., 2000, Environmental weeds in Australia and New Zealand: issues and approaches to management, Austral Ecology, vol. 25, issue 5, pp 425–444 Read More

Additionally the ecological forces greatly influence urban planning and this is the focal point which is explored in detail in the scope of this paper. 3. Ecology and Urban Spatial Planning Urban Planning as spatial initiatives has been responding to ecological changes; however there exists a cyclical two way relationship between ecology and spatial urban planning which makes it increasingly difficult for the related policy to sustain in the long run without continuous development. The external forces of ecology cannot be controlled and managed for, however urban planning initiatives can be adjusted to reflect the changing economy and provide for sustainability in light of the changes.

The ecological concerns that are raised from the urbanization are economic ecology oriented and these issues can be managed for using forward thinking policies, procedures and legislative regulation. The main ecological concerns that impact urban planning pertain to the following: 3.1. Changes in Climatic Conditions The changing climate of the region is one of the major influencing agents regarding the spatial planning initiatives. Specific to the Australian region, it is crucial to plan for and accommodate the changes in the climate as the region is highly volatile in terms of climate.

In urban areas specially, the changes in the climate are more pronounced due to the artificial spatial planning in the regions which makes urban areas more susceptible to realize and be adversely effected by the to even small changes in the climate (Bambric et.al, 2011). Some of the climatic changes that affect the spatial initiatives take the form of rainfall causing flooding, coastal erosion, as well as increases in the level of the oceans due to global warming ((Norman, 2010)). The changing temperatures and the resultant change in the marine life, flora and fauna as well increasing incidents of resultant bushfires are of significant importance as well. 3.2.

Water Sensitivity Water is one of the main natural resources, which is limited in availability while causing restrictions on spatial planning initiatives. Specific to water, the initiatives need to be sensitive in terms of managing the resource of water in the urban regions in a sustainable and productive manner. The main issue arises when planning has to incorporate future availability of the resources and avoidance of pollution in water resources and tables. 3.3. Landscape Issues The increasing urbanization has changed the landscape in the region.

Deforestation is also an issue which has occurred as by product of making way for urban projects and for the development of communities. This has significantly changed the systematic structure of the land based environment. The plant life and vegetation as well as related wildlife as a result are adversely affected. In addition there are also issues pertaining to increased land aridity and land pollution due to lack of sustainable management of these ecological resources. 3.4. Marine Life and Endangered Species Similarly the marine life and bio diversity have come under threat due to urban planning projects.

The changes in the environments for marine and aquatic life has resulted a change in their composition, thus endangering species along the way. Moreover the increased pollution and emission of green house gases has also adversely affected future of marine life by causing water resources and their respective ecological environments to become toxic (Williams and West, 2000). 4. Current Challenges for State or Government Commonwealth Policy The following depict some of the challenges faced by the Government Commonwealth Policy regarding the spatial planning initiatives. 4.1.

Changing Climatic Conditions The changes in the climatic conditions respective to the increasing temperatures and global warming caused by the human activity are significant in terms of its relationship to urban areas in Australia. However on a macro level the policy has not addressed these issues completely, which can be observed from the delayed response approach that the commonwealth government has taken to adhere to the Kyoto protocol.

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