1. Environmental Science 2013-2014
How We Use Land
Environmental Science

2. Land Use and Land Cover Land is used for many purposes: Farming Mining
Recreation
Building cities and highways

3. Land Use and Land Cover Urban land Rural area
Land that is covered mainly with buildings and roads
U.S. Census Bureau defines it as an area that contains 2,500 or more people and usually has a governing body.
Rural area
Land that contains relatively few people and large areas of open space.

4. Primary Land-Use Categories
Land Use and Land Cover
Primary Land-Use Categories
Land Cover Type
Human Use of Land
Rangeland
Land used to graze livestock and wildlife
Forest land
Land used for harvesting wood, wildlife, fish, nuts, and other resources
Cropland
Land used to grow plants for food and fiber
Parks and preserves
Land used for recreation and scenic enjoyment and for preserving native animal and plant communities and ecosystems
Wetlands, mountains, deserts, and other
Land that is difficult to use for human purposes
Urban land
Land used for houses, businesses, industry, and roads

5. Where We Live Until about 1850, most people lived in rural areas.
Farmers – grew crops and raised livestock
Mine workers
Forest workers

6. Where We Live

7. Where We Live Industrial Revolution
Machinery made it possible for fewer people to work on farms.
Better transportation allowed people to live further from where they worked.
Thousands of jobs in rural areas were eliminated.
Led to many people moving to cities.

8. The Urban-Rural Connection
Everyone, regardless of where they live, is dependent on the resources produced in rural areas.
Clean drinking water
Fertile soil and land for crops
Trees for wood and paper
Much of the oxygen we breath (plants)
Ecosystem services – resources that are produced by natural and artificial ecosystems.