Case Study - Changes in Rural Environments UK
- In developed countries rural change has occurred as a result of:
- Depopulation
- Tourism
- Counter-urbanisation
- Suburbanisation
- In the UK 19% of people live in rural areas
- Rural areas are defined as areas with a population of less than 10,000
Depopulation
- A decrease in the rural population
- Most common in the remote, less accessible rural areas due to:
- Mechanisation of agricultural which has meant decreasing availability of jobs
- The younger generation leaving to gain a wider variety of opportunities
- As more people leave rural services decline with the closure of schools, shops and post offices
- Rural isolation due to poor transport and communication links
- Low wages
Negative Multiplier Effect
- Depopulation leads to a spiral of decline which it is difficult to stop or reverse
Negative Multiplier Effect
Western Isles
- Areas experiencing depopulation in the UK include the Western Isles, Scotland:
- The population have decreased by over 50% in the last 100 years
- Impacts include:
- School closures due to fewer children
- An ageing population require higher amounts of social care, which will have social and economic impacts
- Further decline in the fishing and farming industry as younger generation choose better paid jobs and the ageing population retires
- Maintaining transport services for the smaller population is not cost effective
- Tourism is increasingly important but the infrastructure is not suited to large numbers of visitors
- Abandoned crofts and land
Worked example
Suggest two factors which might have encouraged the depopulation of the Western Isles (2)
- Answer:
- Remote/ low accessibility (1)
- Poor service provision (1)
- Limited employment opportunity (1)
- High/rising unemployment (1)
- Farming difficulties/mechanisation (1)
- Limited facilities (1)
- Harsh weather (1)