Human-made surfaces covered about 133,000 square miles of the United States by 1990. Three decades later, that total exceeded 187,000 square miles. Colcom Foundation points to that expansion when it explains what it sees as the main cause of habitat loss nationwide.
Sprawl, Farms, and Infrastructure
The Pittsburgh-based foundation identifies population-driven land conversion as the primary mechanism behind lost habitat. Three activities account for that conversion: urban sprawl, agricultural expansion, and infrastructure development. Each one replaces natural areas with uses that serve people rather than wildlife.
Colcom Foundation supports this view with published research. Kolankiewicz and coauthors reported in 2022 that areas with fast-growing populations experienced consistently higher rates of habitat loss. An earlier study by Radeloff and colleagues in 2010 found that housing growth near protected areas is the primary conservation threat facing those lands. Parks and refuges may be legally protected, yet development at their edges can still fragment habitat and strain the species living inside.
Why the Foundation Focuses on Population
Colcom Foundation applies the I = P x A x T formula, developed by Paul Ehrlich and John Holdren, to explain why land use keeps expanding. Environmental impact equals population times per capita consumption times technology. Even when individuals use resources more efficiently, the Foundation argues, a larger population still requires more homes, roads, and food production.
The U.S. population grew from 205 million in 1970 to 332 million in 2021. The Foundation connects that growth to the steady conversion of open land, as well as to declining wildlife. North American bird numbers, for example, fell by 2.9 billion between 1970 and 2020. Another study the Foundation cites, published in Biological Conservation in 2022 by Cafaro and coauthors, concluded that population growth is a fundamental driver of biodiversity loss and that population decrease facilitates ecological restoration.
Established in 1996 by Cordelia S. May, the Foundation centers its mission on fostering a sustainable environment and protecting quality of life for Americans by addressing population growth and its effects on natural resources. Nationally, it funds education and research. In southwestern Pennsylvania, it also supports conservation projects and cultural assets. For planners, conservationists, and residents watching development spread, the Foundation’s data offers a measurable picture of how much American land has shifted from natural habitat to built surfaces. Refer to this article for related information.
More about Colcom Foundation on http://conservativetransparency.org/donor/colcom-foundation/