CHAPTER IV: WILDLIFE HABITATS FOR MISSISSIPPI’S SGCN,
THREATS AND CONSERVATION ACTIONS^283rban and suburban land is comprised of areas of intensive usage with much of the land covered by U
structures and pavement. Included in this category are cities, towns, villages, strip developments along
highways, transportation, power, and communications facilities, and areas such as those occupied by
shopping centers, industrial and commercial complexes and institutions that may, in some instances, be
isolated from urban areas. Land use categories included within this type are single and multiple family
residential zones, public and institutional space, office parks and retail areas, transportation, utility and
communication infrastructure and recreational and conservation areas. In one study it was estimated that
36,000 acres of urban land (within city limits) in Mississippi consists of hardwood or pine overstory.
According to land use/land cover estimates, there are between 0.4 and 0.7 million acres of urban land in
Mississippi (1 to 2 percent of the total).
This type includes two subtypes: 16.1 Urban and Suburban Lands and 16.2 Buildings, Bridges,
Overpasses, etc.
GENERAL CONDITION
Urban lands contain a concentration of economic activities that have various deleterious effects on the
environment, such as water and air pollution, solid waste disposal, increased runoff and loss of
infiltration, due to large areas covered by buildings and pavement. The vegetation of urban areas is
severely fragmented and composed of many weedy species. These economic centers affect surrounding
rural areas when residential areas sprawl beyond the city boundaries. There is also an increase in the
demand for resources from the surrounding areas. Developments that are concentrated within the urban
centers are often detrimental to native wildlife species; some being critically affected by high levels of
pollution or the changes that occurred in water quality of the local rivers and creeks. Some species, such
as the mocking bird, prefer open, fragmented habitats. However, most of the rare species tend to avoid
urban areas, if possible, or are extirpated from developed areas due to a deterioration of their habitat.