Question

plz answer number 22

Answer 1

Environmental Benefits:

Improved Air Quality

Trees are called the earth's lungs. Not only do they provide oxygen for us to breathe, but they clean the air of many pollutants harmful to humans. Open space has an overall positive effect in the improvement of urban ventilation. By protecting open space and creating parks, trees and other vegetation are also preserved and protected, often planted. This vegetation plays a significant role in improving air quality in the region.

Climate Change

There is a rising interest in limiting our greenhouse gas emissions and becoming more energy efficient, both regionally and globally, in order to deal with climate change. Natural lands like forests, grasslands, and parks are key assets in this effort, whether they are large preserves serving as carbon "sinks," or small local neighborhood parks helping cool their environs.

Improved Water Quality

Improved Water QualityPreserving open lands and creating parkland preserves natural processes of infiltration and limits imperviousness, both of which are intimately linked to stormwater management and water quality. A study from 1993 by the Illinois State Water Survey estimated the value of open space for floodplain storage, including wastewater reclamation, pollution abatement and aquifer recharge as more than $52,000 per acre in the Chicago region (IL Environmental Council, 2007).

Biodiversity and Habitat Protection

As land is preserved throughout the region, a key environmental benefit is the protection of unique habitat and regional biodiversity. Wildlife and vegetation depend on undisturbed natural areas for food, shelter, and reproduction, often in ways that humans have not always recognized. However, we are beginning to learn about the interconnectedness of the ecosystems of which we are a part, and how it is beneficial for us to protect and preserve habitat and biodiversity within the region.