ABSTRACT
In studying the biogeography of the British Isles, it is all too easy to overlook the considerable impacts of urbanization and industrialization, not only in terms of habitat destruction and the consequent displacement of the fauna and flora, but also in terms of the provision of new, ‘man-made’ habitats. The biogeographical influences of urban growth and increased industrial activity are often quite far-reaching and are only infrequently contained within the immediate area. Urban areas represent some of the most transformed habitats in the British Isles, but it would be wrong to think, as C. S. Elton did for his domestic habitats, that they are endless deserts of concrete and tarmac devoid of bio-geographical interest. The literature on urban biogeography in the British Isles is rather sparse, but this is slowly being put right as detailed urban mapping and recording schemes get underway, such as the West Midland Wildlife Survey.
