Is The Shark Steam Mop Work On Walls

30. Artificial Sustainable Ecosystems: Creating


A GLASS NOAH'S ARK

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Biosphere 2: the first major project that sought to recreate human self-sufficient or sustainable ecosystems

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On 22 December 2003 was completed one experiment raised expectations that more scientists and public opinion: the Biosphere 2 project . But this great biological and botanical study was marked by controversy. NASA declined to participate.

This image belongs to the interior of tropical habitat Biosphere 2. Amazing!

Biosphere 2, originally represented the reproduction of the ecosystems of our planet in a closed environment: a miniature world in an original world (the terrestrial biosphere).

This project began in 1984 with the aim of achieving further scientific and technical knowledge about the creation of independent biological systems that support life on other planets.

A structure resembling a giant greenhouse to determine the possibility of maintaining ecosystems

Five miniature ecosystem inside a huge greenhouse, which cost $ 140 million, with two envelopes of "Bionaut" (human residents without outside contact) the first for two years and the second for six months, made up this ambitious experiment.

original scheme on Biosphere 2

This huge "greenhouse" domed pyramid of almost one hectare, stands majestically in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona United States.

Its aim was to experience a model designed for human knowledge to investigate the real possibility on a small scale in a world artificially recreated and equivalent to the Earth, the original biosphere. The structure wrapped in glass, with 197 million liters of capacity, housed some 3,800 different species of animals, plants and insects in seven "biomes" ... and a group of eight people. Much of the controversy took place precisely because of this staff was criticized for its preparation and subsequent performance in the place, more like a TV reality show Big Brother type which dismissed seriousness and scientific rigor to the experience. Approximately 1,300

sensors monitored the weather, soil conditions, air and water, archiving all this data in data banks abroad for further evaluation. Little transpired on this study.

a scientific trial BITTERSWEET

One after another they were added inconveniences that ruined the project's objectives

enclosure autonomy was thwarted by something as vital as oxygen production. In a moment of experience, the oxygen in the air decreased dramatically.

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The perpetrators were bred explosively microorganisms in the soil and consume the oxygen with which it was evident that would have been desirable to allow ecosystems to develop and reach their equilibrium, income before human.

On the other hand, low-calorie diet was that, together with the increased concentration of carbon dioxide from the air, caused a progressive fatigue, loss of strength and weight of the population. The first group had joined with some food for the initial phase.

this amazing site now has become an attraction like a theme park

After numerous unforeseen problems were diminishing media interest in this luxury project scientist and there was the withdrawal of its sponsor, the billionaire Edward Bass.

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Finally, in 1996, took over the project of Columbia University, which was used as a testing ground on the influence of global change on ecosystems.

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This agreement should be completed in 2010. But the economic cost was monumental and the U.S. government subsidies to close its aid decreases, so the university terminated the contract from December 22, 2003.

Reproduction of biotopes of the interior is virtually identical to the nature

Edward Bass's company, Decisions Investiment Corp., which again took over the entire complex, designed to make Biosphere 2 a profitable business. He also owned 1,400 hectares in the area, where to stay and build homes.

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will continue with visits to the complex and its surroundings, but in terms of research and training activities are completed. It will therefore enable private enterprise to recover the money invested. In short, currently being developed as a theme park open to the public informative.

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THE INHERITANCE OF FRAGILE BIOSPHERE 2

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The main objective of this scientific adventure was to take detailed measurements and descriptive analysis of ecosystems reproduced. This laboratory climate of 127 hectares and 6500 glazed windows, mini-ecosystems (oceans, coral reefs, mangroves, rainforest, African savanna and desert) unfortunately has not left the legacy that was expected, or at least the information of interest not been shared publicly.

This is the Biosphere 2 ocean , where he developed the coral reef ecosystem

Unfortunately the data are not precise about the behavior of the various species that formed the habitat of Biosphere 2 . It is, therefore, the question about living species suitable to accompany the human being in a possible settlement out of our world (the most important purpose of the experiment).

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OTHER RECREATION INITIATIVE IN CLOSED ECOSYSTEM

Eden Project is another initiative in seeking to achieve sustainable ecosystems

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The March 17, 2001 across the ocean, England, completed construction of the Eden Project called .

These 5 geodesic domes housing a spectacular group of plants representing landscapes.

Building Eden Project looks incredibly futuristic

The project, funded by a nonprofit foundation emphasizes conservation resources and the contribution of plant diversity to human life. The educational contribution of the project enabled the foundation to earn the Gifted ensuring the organization to recover the taxes of the British state. These taxes represent about 30% of the amount of subsidies.

lush landscapes are maintained in equilibrium under the big glass domes

All technologies related to the cultivation of plants growing on the Eden Project conducted in collaboration with other centers research. The

Eden Project designers refute the label of theme park. The park was initially created to demonstrate the ability to use nature to regenerate a damaged by human activity. The exhibition brings together, however, all the ingredients of a theme park: an area of \u200b\u200bmarked traffic, amusement hall, exhibition building, cinemas, etc.. In 2006 was built "Core" a wooden frame studded sheets inspired by plant growth method, mimicking the outside of a pineapple woody where the leaves overlap. An inevitable closed shop a must visit.

Many plant species are maintained successfully within the domes

Despite the clear teaching quality plantation and botanical displays, the aspect of sustainable development be seen little in the farm park. Aside from composting and recovery of runoff, it places little emphasis on eco-energetic management.

Another initiative that scientists should rethink their objectives

These absences plan are uncertain about the validity of the environmental approach underlying the project.

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Again we are faced with an ambitious project that promised a great opportunity to investigate the feasibility of closed ecosystems, but has too many gaps in scientific approaches.

Can I create an enclosed space with a sustainable ecosystem?

not only possible, but also nature itself offers several examples: the most notable is in the Galapagos Islands. Another example we can take as a reference point, with smaller size is the case of the Ngorongoro Crater (Tanzania), an isolated environment that houses the African savanna ecosystem, with the special recreation of natural spaces such as ponds, grasslands and forests that supply miniature wildlife that live there.

Grasslands of Ngorongoro Crater, the generating life of the closed microworld

In the near future, with the help of modern technology, can mimic these places so beautiful and full of life.

ANALYSIS NGORONGORO microworld of

The accident has made the interior of this extinct volcano is the container of a closed ecosystem and sustainable

Anyone who has had the fortune to visit the Ngorongoro Crater can confirm that it seems incredible product nature. The animals are divided by zones, as in a zoo. On the one hand, families of elephants are spread over the forest and on the other, watch lions on the prairie over the wildebeest, antelopes, zebras, giraffes, black rhinos, ostriches, monkeys, pythons, etc. . Hippos also have its lagoon, as water birds like flamingos ... They live in a sustainable manner a total of 25,000 animals.

A true Eden in the interior of a crater 25 km in diameter

The soundtrack of the place is a real concert emitting thousands of wild animals of the African fauna.

The crater walls have a height of 2200 meters, which promotes a microclimate that protects the interior

is actually the crater of a dormant volcano whose natural borders have allowed for different microsystems in a very small area. A forest, savanna, river with its natural lake, pond salt and arid lands are concentrated in an area no larger than 20 kilometers in diameter.

The uniqueness of this ecosystem is closed due to the characteristics of the crater walls, with no input or output gaps. The crater rim has more than 2200 meters high and touch the clouds in the sky most days of the year. This creates a perfect microclimate for the development of all living beings.

African fauna is represented in the Ngorongoro, in an ecosystem where cycles occur every

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area was declared in 1959, and UNESCO in 1979 proclaimed World Heritage Site. On the other hand, has become a tourist reference which requires strict adherence to rules to prevent damage. But it should be more carefully calculating the impact produced by many 4x4 vehicles that travel there daily.

Ngorongoro has become a tourist attraction

This fascinating place, a little Eden, is being studied as a model for the establishment of zoos in the future. At the end of this article is an interesting interview with the directors of the company's Rain Forest SL where we can find a new way of creating zoo looking for the best conditions for its inhabitants.

NEW CONCEPTS OF "FREEDOM IN CAPTIVITY"

is disappearing Fortunately the idea that animals adapt to our needs. Al Instead, we play fielemente their habitats and allow their behavior as free

a small scale, fans of aquariums and terrariums have seen the concepts have evolved artificially controlled ecosystem. Fortunately

technology and better understanding the behavior of the species, provide an improvement in the conditions of his life in captivity. Needless to say, the existence in freedom is possible comparison, but one should not neglect the option of offering conditions most similar to the wild.

The objective should always be controlled to maintain these ecosystems so thrive without gaps and with minimal potential limitations to his creatures.

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is possible that in the not too distant future as we think, our duty as a superior species is the absolute preservation of the other creatures who have joined us. Faced with a threat as climate change, each country should take measures for the salvation of creatures that are part of nature. In fact, today there are many entities that are investigating to safeguard the biological treasure threatened by extinction.

The basic rules for creating ecosystems are

1. Adaptation of the parameters needed to put the biotope wishing to maintain (temperature, lighting, etc..).

The Prague zoo has a dome-enclosed environment in which their animals live comfortably

2. The more physical space is dedicated to controlled environment easier its development and correspondingly easier to achieve balance.
3. An artificial ecosystem should follow a progressive process in the introduction of its living beings. For example, on a primary basis for the maintenance of life is water and grass. Secondly include herbivores and once playback reaches high levels, the third phase is the arrival of predators.

The new philosophy of zoos is to reproduce endangered species

4. An ecosystem must be sustainable and that happens when your balance is achieved. The species must reproduce normally held to perpetuate their life cycles.

playback environment should be absolutely identical to the nature

5. natural biotopes mean temporal process of a gradual evolution. You should always seek joint biological and botanical life forms that are part of ecosystems and solids. Mix in the same habitat living in different biotopes always an imbalance or a fatal outcome under unexpected conditions.
6. artificial intervention should not manifest itself never explicitly recreated the look of the ecosystem. Husbandry must camouflage allowing free environment objects or man-made mechanisms, avoiding the impact on own creatures maintained.

Human beings should always investigate and promote the welfare

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INTERVIEW WITH RAIN FOREST SL: A NEW CONCEPT OF ZOO "SOFTWARE"

Then we have the honor of interviewing with Gonzalo Fernandez Hoyos and Luis Maria Ortiz Valero, the directors of Rain Forest SL ecodesign company dedicated to the zoo. We must emphasize that these professionals denote a significant involvement with nature. From the first moment we contacted them we have responded with great interest and willingness to tell us about a new way of understanding the creation of zoos under the premise of better conditions and quality of life for their animals.

© Rain Forest SL

1. Is it possible to build zoos where the animals live and not survive?
is not only possible but a long time ago. The advance of science as ethology, nutrition or veterinary in the 70's gave rise to an unprecedented improvement in quality of life of animals in zoos.
Since then progress has been made in these respects and in another very important: the stage.

2. zoos What kind of design you?
We rely on the principle of the zoo-immersion, which began running in the 80's by the firm Jones & Jones Zoo in Seattle, USA. We seek to "submerge" the visitor in a careful recreation of the original habitat of the animals. And no "show" animals, but the visitor and they "agree" in a suggestive environment.

© Rain Forest SL

3. What are your assumptions when designing a "zoo" software "?
all starts with a feasibility study gives us an idea of \u200b\u200bpotential visitors to each location. This is followed by a conceptual design, ie recreate savannas, forests or deserts, we will be zoo-geographical or biomes will be structured, and so on. Here you have in mind the climate of the area and the existing landscape, if any, and provides a first zoning. We continue with a thorough collection plan and realistic, that will determine the design of logistics units and animal collection. The next step is a masterplan, which turns the information gathered so far and where it determines the size of enclosures, the route of the public or technical units and filtration facilities. Finally, it makes a basic project, which captures the final design, and identifies issues such as the dimensions of the roads the public to adapt to existing regulations. Then he made the project execution, to carry out the work.

4. In these circumstances, what benefits have been observed in living things maintained?
All. The classic venues have managed to cover their biological needs with considerable success. Now let them live in stimulating environments where there are waterfalls, vegetation, animal species supported. The group of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes ) Fuengirola Zoo is a good example. In the old dungeon cage-lived with a considerable degree of stress leading to the male player to kill the pups for her mother to be in heat again. Now this same male is an excellent father, leader of a group that jealously protects, as would a chimpanzee in the wild.

© Rain Forest SL

5. Compared with the existing design of other zoos, "more expensive their proposals advanced natural?
course, our production is much more expensive. Our proposal works recreated if the habitat is credible. This theming
, substrates and other elements must be of exceptional quality. If we contentásemos with any artificial rock, type amusement park, would we get the animal and public context. And the quality, as we all know, is expensive.

6. How design of the viewing public space?
in principle is a continuation of habitat occupied by animals. The same rocks, plants and sand. But we want the posters, public roads and other furniture are modern, funky, stylish but not integrated into the landscape. If we did, would seem too much like a theme park.

© Rain Forest SL

7. In your experience, is it possible to find balance in an ecosystem recreated?
It is. In our case, we can not allow the lions hunt antelope in the savannah of Bioparc Valencia, and then spotted hyenas and vultures on carrion it clean. That is, a balance "maintained." But For example, each of our estuaries is a closed loop in which we create a biological system. Years ago we abandoned the chlorine and other chemicals and have begun using certain species of fish and aquatic plants to create biological systems that filter and purify water.

© Rain Forest SL

8. What known case of an animal species in danger of extinction that has been played in their "zoo logical?
Many, perhaps most emblematic is the Malayan gharial ( Tomistoma schlegelii). This sharp-nosed crocodile, which reaches 6 m in length is from the swamp forests of Southeast Asia. Like many crocodiles in Europe, our dogs had been kept in a terrarium classic. We offered an open space in Fuengirola Zoo, with water heated in winter, sharing space with fish and freshwater turtles of its original distribution area. Gibbons or turkey-real green can even get in and out of its enclosure recreating a bench at the edge of a riparian forest. That is, we offered a live environment, dynamic and stimulating and we have allowed this species to play for the first time in Europe.

9. What are the jobs they are most proud of?
Bioparc Fuengirola Zoo and Valencia.

10. Under his view, what should be the zoos of the future?
I'm quite pessimistic about the future of many animal species and many ecosystems, such as tropical forests are being consumed by human greed. Zoos of the future should not only help preserve these species but display them as part inseparable from a complex ecosystem that may be lost forever.

© Rain Forest SL

11. If you want to add something more ...
I think that's right. Thank you very much.

© Rain Forest SL

NOTE: Thanks to Rain Forest SL for their great professionalism and spirit which demonstrates a commitment to the environment when creating habitats for animals. We continue to design these environments so beautiful that accurately mimic landscapes full of life.

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To end this article, saying that it is clear that we are a species with large capacities, both creative and destructive. In our positive attitude, creating a Noah's Ark protected living beings should be a high priority, for surely it will reside our own survival. Notebooks

artificial ecosystem