|
|
The Arizona section of the Society for Range Management welcomes you to the web pages of the Effects of Urbanization in the Sonoran Desert Symposium. The symposium examined the natural history, impacts of urbanization, development considerations, and case studies of the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. The Sonoran Desert, typified by the saguaro cactus, is a unique resource in Arizona. In fact, Arizona supports the largest area of this vegetation in the United States. It has existed with its natural elements for 8 to 9 thousand years. Now the continuation of its existence is threatened by urbanization and other land uses.
The natural elements that kept indigenous populations abeyant in the Sonoran Desert are some of the same elements that have attracted a huge, growing, modern population. People have been attracted to the Sonoran Desert's scenic beauty, wide open spaces, and warm climate. Unfortunately, human development includes some elements that have degraded the natural conditions that attracted us in the first place. Exotic plants, increased wildfire, and habitat fragmentation have changed the characteristics of the Sonoran Desert.
Since the Sonoran Desert is such an important resource to Arizona and the United States, it is prudent for scientists, resource managers, legislators, and the informed public to work together for a common goal: assuring sustainable uses of our unique Sonoran Desert.