Mass Destruction of Ecosystems to Accommodate the Automobile Essay

Mass Destruction of Ecosystems to Accommodate the AutomobileMitigation, to the dismay of some, has become in public synonymous with notions of preservation and conservation. Mitigation is neither the preservation nor is it the conservation of habitat. Mitigation is the creation of new habitat, or the guarding of an existing habitat to make up for the goal of similar habitat somewhere else. It was the infamous environmental buzz word of the nineties, notorious for its criticism and praise by developers. Criticism because mitigation delays and obstructs their progress, and praise by those who take advantage of loopholes within the guidelines. All the while ecologists are accepting the mitigations like ill tasting medicine in the hope that it will work, aft(prenominal) all it is at least something. It has gone so off the beaten track(predicate) that some, working within the fields of restoration ecology and other areas have misgivings about sharing the knowledge acquired through th eir efforts in regards to their efficacy in restoring or moving habitat set to be destroyed. They feel that their successes in mitigation will only if encourage the destruction of more crucial habitat. It is a bittersweet victory , for them mitigation is definitely not conservation. With this clarification of mitigation in mind the victimisation of transportation technologies is faced with a dilemma. A way to transport people, goods and services along the surface of the earth in a manner unobtrusive to the flora ,fauna and natural environment which surround us. If going through, or around the habitat is unacceptable, what about going above or below it ? Tunnels and bridges have been busy as methods of conveyance through areas where building roads was not feasible for many... ...ficult at best to recreate functioning ecosystems that are so complex. When faced with these situations it is valuable that designers consider all options for the proposed roadway. In that particular ca se it seems a bridge would function equally as well as a roadway, would require far less mitigation, and would preserve the vital integrity of the habitat at the same time. References http//www.taxpayer.net/ (Taxpayers for Common Sense) http//build.tunnel.org/tunnel/oldSite/index.html (Yes on Measure T, San Mateo tunnel) http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bridge/resources.html (NovaBridges) http//www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ (PBSNova) http//www.traylor.com/tunnels/ (Traylor) http//www.tcagencies.com/index.html (Transportation Corridor Agency) http//www.epa.gov/OWOW/ (EPA office of water) http//www.uswetlands.com/ (US wetland services)