ABSTRACT

Human land use has begun exerting pressure on global ecosystems, causing a decline in biodiversity, and putting pressure on the biosphere’s ability to support life. Migration and rapid population growth in urban areas have resulted in a growing volume of solid waste in nature reserves due to littering and illegal dumping. The existence of illegal dumping and littering continues to be a worldwide problem, even in protected areas. With the rise of informal settlements nationwide that contributes to illegal dumping and littering in developing nations undermines any effort to address the challenges of service delivery and creates unexpected environmental impacts. Even though there are numerous challenges to protected areas everywhere, urban proximity to protected areas exacerbates the threat level. This review aims to show the significance of human interaction with natural areas through community engagement, acknowledgment of traditional knowledge, and co-existence between conservationists and local communities. These in essence advocate for environmental sociology. The paper made use of a systematic literature review to critically analyze the topic and observe the trends. The literature reveals that thousands of protected areas are already impacted by urban areas.

Implications: The study sheds light on future urban development and pollution control. Our communities’ environmental and social conditions are influenced by major urban areas, suburbs, and informal settlements. This is the first study to examine the urban sprawl of informal settlements that intrude on nearby natural areas. For decades, nature reserves have played an important role in conserving biodiversity. Littering and illegal dumping have increased the amount of solid waste in the metropolitan nature reserve as a result of rapid urban sprawl. The division of large natural areas into smaller spatial units can hinder the migration of species. By interspersing undeveloped and developed areas, leapfrog development patterns further divide natural landscapes. Long-term sustainability depends on understanding the causes, effects, and policy implications of sprawl.