Date: January 31, 2013
Names: Kelvin, Kathleen, Larissa, Irene, Stella, Tom, Zaenab, May, and Oliva.
Readings: Kowarik, Ingo, Andreas Langer. "Natur-Park Sudgelande: Linking Conservation and Recreation in an Abandoned Railyard in Berlin." Planning Group OkoCon & Planland. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2005 pages 287-299.
Pereira, Henrique M. et al. "Scenarios for Global Biodiversity in the 21st Century." Science 330. American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2010.
Summary of Readings:
Natur-Park Sudgelande: Linking Conservation and Recreation in an Abandoned Railyard in Berlin
This article discusses the effects of nature development because of the political situation in Berlin. Specifically, many railyards weren't being used, and as a result they were converted to a natural state. In Sudgelande, a larger railyard is located and it is mostly abandoned. In 10 years (1981-1991) the area of woodlands doubled from occupying 37% to 70%. This abandoned railyard was going to be converted to a railway again, however the town protested and it became a park. This was a challenge for the planners because they had to allow public use without threatening the species. They decided on making the existing train tracks the pathway and established 3 specific areas in the park. This park is good example of an area that brings humans closer to biodiversity.
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| Image 1: Sudgelande
Video on Sludgeland Park: http://vimeo.com/51232989
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This article discusses scenarios that show a decline in biodiversity over the 21st century. Also they classify these changes into 4 categories: species extinctions, species abundance and community structure, habitat loss, and shifts in distribution of species and biomes. The article explained each of these briefly and what their causes will be on the environment. For example, species extinction can be explained by climate loss or a lack of understanding. Habitat Loss and Degradation include altering the habitat by human actions. The article also states that forest land conversion to agriculture has been a crucial part of habitat change. The article concludes with discussing some challenges that occur when trying to improve these biodiversity scenarios such as: land-use change and climate change.
Minutes of Seminar Discussion: The group started by discussing the first article and some of its challenges, such as opening it to public without endangering the species, and also discussed some possibilities of leaving it as a natural park: promoting urban nature conservation, woodlands increasing causing a decline in grasslands.
Do you think that the park should be left to its natural state or should the park be open to the public?
-the general discussion came to the conclusion that it really depended on if the species were invasive to to the site or natural.
-extinction as a natural process.
-are they going to promote the park as a recreational site or as preserving nature?
The group then discussed the second article:
What are some of the factors that could account for massive differences in projections for biodiversity in the next century?
-different opinions behind the studies
-there are different databases that were used to collect the information
Reflections: The seminar group asked a final question that was more personal: Should humans intervene with nature to preserve biodiversity, or rather let nature take its own course? I believe that it really depends on the situation. In the case of the abandoned railway, humans should intervene to a certain extent, to preserve the nature and make it a controlled, natural site. At the same time, however, this could lead to people misinterpreting the park as a recreational site, defeating the purpose.
Image 1: Westphal, Luci. My favorite Berlin park: Sudgelande- In A Berlin Minute. Vimeo. http://vimeo.com/51232989 accessed April 17, 2013.
Video: Westphal, Luci. My favorite Berlin park: Sudgelande- In A Berlin Minute. Vimeo. http://vimeo.com/51232989 accessed April 17, 2013.
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