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India, Nepal, Indonesia, Russia, and China, but they are seriously
threatened. Miceler estimates that the total tiger population in the
wild is fewer than four thousand. Because of growth in Asia, he
says, about 6,800 miles (10,944 km) of infrastructure (roads, rail-
way, high-tension wires, water, and gas pipelines) will be needed.
“And,” says Miceler, “virtually all those plans will cut through what
is prime tiger habitat.”
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Like other environmental scientists, Miceler believes it is possible
to accommodate the needs of a growing population and economy
while also protecting wildlife habitat. For instance, sophisticated
REDESIGNING WITH NATURE
When considering examples of sustainable development, few people would in-
clude golf courses on their list. Although beautiful, these sprawling expanses
of lush green turf are often viewed as excessive users of water and chemicals
like fertilizers and weed killers. But according to the environmental nonpro t
organization Audubon International, up to 15 percent of golf courses in the Unit-
ed States and Canada are members of environmental programs. The facilities
have committed to principles of conserving water, scaling back on the amount
of manicured turf, naturalizing areas not used for play, and protecting wildlife
habitat around the courses.
At one of these courses, located in Vero Beach, Florida, the superintendent
planted more than eight hundred native plant species and removed invasive
species. Also, he stopped the practice of having lake-bank grasses mowed and
allowed them to grow naturally. This resulted in buffer zones around ponds that
absorbed chemical runoff, which improved habitat for sh and created habitat
for birds and butter ies. Similar steps were taken at a golf course in Stone
Mountain, Georgia. Grounds director Anthony Williams implemented a natural
mosquito-control system by having two dozen bat boxes constructed—a single
bat eats thousands of mosquitoes each night. Williams added thirty-six nest
boxes for bluebirds and stopped mowing 14 acres (5.7 ha) of the course to
restore habitat. “What we’ve learned,” he says, “is that everything we do as an
operation has an impact on wildlife and the environment around us.”
Quoted in Lisa D. Mickey, “Golf Courses Taking Key Steps to Become Good Neighbors
,”
Audubon International,
January 8, 2016.
