Landscape Modification and Habitat Fragmentation: a Synthesis
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Landscape Connectivity Science and Practice: Ways Forward for Large Ranging Species and Their Landscapes
LANDSCAPE CONNECTIVITY SCIENCE AND PRACTICE: WAYS FORWARD FOR LARGE RANGING SPECIES AND THEIR LANDSCAPES 1 Acknowledgements: This report was developed following the Landscape Connectivity Workshop held at and hosted by WWF India, Delhi in May 2018. We are grateful to the following people who provided valuable input, facilitation and compilation of notes throughout and following the workshop: Hamsini Bijlani, Dipankar Ghose (WWF India), Nilanga Jayasinghe (WWF US), Nitin Seker (WWF India), Indira Akoijam (WWF India), Thu Ba Huynh (WWF Tigers Alive). Suggested citation: WWF Tigers Alive (2020). Landscape Connectivity Science and Practice: Ways forward for large ranging species and their landscapes. Workshop Report, WWF Tigers Alive, WWF International. Workshop report editors: Ashley Brooks (WWF Tigers Alive), Hamsini Bijlani. Case study report researcher and author: Kyle Lukas Report prepared by: WWF Tigers Alive Published in: 2020 by WWF – World Wide Fund for Nature (Formerly World Wildlife Fund), Gland, Switzerland. Any reproduction in full or in part must mention the title and credit the above- mentioned publisher as the copyright owner. For more information please contact: Ashley Brooks. [email protected] WWF Tigers Alive is an initiative of WWF that supports tiger range countries achieve their commitments under the Global Tiger Recovery Program to double the number of tigers by 2022. WWF is one of the world’s largest and most experienced independent conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global network active in more than 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by: conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. -
Analysis of Habitat Fragmentation and Ecosystem Connectivity Within the Castle Parks, Alberta, Canada by Breanna Beaver Submit
Analysis of Habitat Fragmentation and Ecosystem Connectivity within The Castle Parks, Alberta, Canada by Breanna Beaver Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the Environmental Science Program YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY December, 2017 Analysis of Habitat Fragmentation and Ecosystem Connectivity within The Castle Parks, Alberta, Canada Breanna Beaver I hereby release this thesis to the public. I understand that this thesis will be made available from the OhioLINK ETD Center and the Maag Library Circulation Desk for public access. I also authorize the University or other individuals to make copies of this thesis as needed for scholarly research. Signature: Breanna Beaver, Student Date Approvals: Dawna Cerney, Thesis Advisor Date Peter Kimosop, Committee Member Date Felicia Armstrong, Committee Member Date Clayton Whitesides, Committee Member Date Dr. Salvatore A. Sanders, Dean of Graduate Studies Date Abstract Habitat fragmentation is an important subject of research needed by park management planners, particularly for conservation management. The Castle Parks, in southwest Alberta, Canada, exhibit extensive habitat fragmentation from recreational and resource use activities. Umbrella and keystone species within The Castle Parks include grizzly bears, wolverines, cougars, and elk which are important animals used for conservation agendas to help protect the matrix of the ecosystem. This study identified and analyzed the nature of habitat fragmentation within The Castle Parks for these species, and has identified geographic areas of habitat fragmentation concern. This was accomplished using remote sensing, ArcGIS, and statistical analyses, to develop models of fragmentation for ecosystem cover type and Digital Elevation Models of slope, which acted as proxies for species habitat suitability. -
Framework for Ecosystem Management in the Interior Columbia Basin
United States Department of Agriculture A Framework for Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Ecosystem Management In United States Department of the Interior the Interior Columbia Basin Bureau of Land Management And Portions of the General Technical Report Klamath and Great Basins PNW-GTR-374 June 1996 United States United States Department of Department Agriculture of the Interior Forest Service Bureau of Land Management Interior Columbia Basin Ecosystem Management Project This is not a NEPA decision document A Framework for Ecosystem Management In the Interior Columbia Basin And Portions of the Klamath and Great Basins Richard W. Haynes, Russell T. Graham and Thomas M. Quigley Technical Editors Richard W. Haynes is a research forester at the Pacific Northwest Research Station, Portland, OR 97208; Russell T. Graham is a research forester at the Intermountain Research Station, Moscow, ID 83843; Thomas M. Quigley is a range scientist at the Pacific Northwest Research Station, Walla Walla, WA 99362. 1996 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Portland, Oregon ABSTRACT Haynes, Richard W.; Graham, Russell T.; Quigley, Thomas M., tech. eds. 1996. A frame- work for ecosystem management in the Interior Columbia Basin including portions of the Klamath and Great Basins. Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-GTR-374. Portland, OR; U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 66 p. A framework for ecosystem management is proposed. This framework assumes the purpose of ecosystem management is to maintain the integrity of ecosystems over time and space. It is based on four ecosystem principles: ecosystems are dynamic, can be viewed as hierarchies with temporal and spatial dimensions, have limits, and are relatively unpredictable. -
Improving Habitat and Connectivity Model Predictions with Multi-Scale Resource Selection Functions from Two Geographic Areas
Landscape Ecol (2019) 34:503–519 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-019-00788-w (0123456789().,-volV)(0123456789().,-volV) RESEARCH ARTICLE Improving habitat and connectivity model predictions with multi-scale resource selection functions from two geographic areas Ho Yi Wan . Samuel A. Cushman . Joseph L. Ganey Received: 22 May 2018 / Accepted: 18 February 2019 / Published online: 4 March 2019 Ó This is a U.S. government work and its text is not subject to copyright protection in the United States; however, its text may be subject to foreign copyright protection 2019 Abstract converted the models into landscape resistance sur- Context Habitat loss and fragmentation are the most faces and used simulations to model connectivity pressing threats to biodiversity, yet assessing their corridors for the species, and created composite impacts across broad landscapes is challenging. habitat and connectivity models by averaging the Information on habitat suitability is sometimes avail- local and non-local models. able in the form of a resource selection function model Results While the local and the non-local models developed from a different geographical area, but its both performed well, the local model performed best applicability is unknown until tested. in the part of the study area where it was built, but Objectives We used the Mexican spotted owl as a performed worse in areas that are beyond the extent of case study to demonstrate how models developed from the data used to train it. The composite habitat model different geographic areas affect our predictions for improved performances over both models in most habitat suitability, landscape resistance, and connec- cases. -
Guidelines for Wildlife and Traffic in the Carpathians
Wildlife and Traffic in the Carpathians Guidelines how to minimize the impact of transport infrastructure development on nature in the Carpathian countries Wildlife and Traffic in the Carpathians Guidelines how to minimize the impact of transport infrastructure development on nature in the Carpathian countries Part of Output 3.2 Planning Toolkit TRANSGREEN Project “Integrated Transport and Green Infrastructure Planning in the Danube-Carpathian Region for the Benefit of People and Nature” Danube Transnational Programme, DTP1-187-3.1 April 2019 Project co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) www.interreg-danube.eu/transgreen Authors Václav Hlaváč (Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, Member of the Carpathian Convention Work- ing Group for Sustainable Transport, co-author of “COST 341 Habitat Fragmentation due to Trans- portation Infrastructure, Wildlife and Traffic, A European Handbook for Identifying Conflicts and Designing Solutions” and “On the permeability of roads for wildlife: a handbook, 2002”) Petr Anděl (Consultant, EVERNIA s.r.o. Liberec, Czech Republic, co-author of “On the permeability of roads for wildlife: a handbook, 2002”) Jitka Matoušová (Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic) Ivo Dostál (Transport Research Centre, Czech Republic) Martin Strnad (Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, specialist in ecological connectivity) Contributors Andriy-Taras Bashta (Biologist, Institute of Ecology of the Carpathians, National Academy of Science in Ukraine) Katarína Gáliková (National -
Multiple Stable States and Regime Shifts - Environmental Science - Oxford Bibliographies 3/30/18, 10:15 AM
Multiple Stable States and Regime Shifts - Environmental Science - Oxford Bibliographies 3/30/18, 10:15 AM Multiple Stable States and Regime Shifts James Heffernan, Xiaoli Dong, Anna Braswell LAST MODIFIED: 28 MARCH 2018 DOI: 10.1093/OBO/9780199363445-0095 Introduction Why do ecological systems (populations, communities, and ecosystems) change suddenly in response to seemingly gradual environmental change, or fail to recover from large disturbances? Why do ecological systems in seemingly similar settings exhibit markedly different ecological structure and patterns of change over time? The theory of multiple stable states in ecological systems provides one potential explanation for such observations. In ecological systems with multiple stable states (or equilibria), two or more configurations of an ecosystem are self-maintaining under a given set of conditions because of feedbacks among biota or between biota and the physical and chemical environment. The resulting multiple different states may occur as different types or compositions of vegetation or animal communities; as different densities, biomass, and spatial arrangement; and as distinct abiotic environments created by the distinct ecological communities. Alternative states are maintained by the combined effects of positive (or amplifying) feedbacks and negative (or stabilizing feedbacks). While stabilizing feedbacks reinforce each state, positive feedbacks are what allow two or more states to be stable. Thresholds between states arise from the interaction of these positive and negative feedbacks, and define the basins of attraction of the alternative states. These feedbacks and thresholds may operate over whole ecosystems or give rise to self-organized spatial structure. The combined effect of these feedbacks is also what gives rise to ecological resilience, which is the capacity of ecological systems to absorb environmental perturbations while maintaining their basic structure and function. -
Habitat Fragmentation Analysis of Boulder County
Habitat Fragmentation Analysis of Boulder County Authors: Paul Millhouser GIS Analyst Rocky Mountain Wild [email protected] 303-351-1020 Paige Singer Conservation Biologist/GIS Specialist Rocky Mountain Wild [email protected] 303-454-3340 Developed for Boulder County Parks and Open Space Small Grant Research November 29, 2018 Habitat Fragmentation Analysis of Boulder County INTRODUCTION Over the last twenty years, research on the effects of human changes to the landscape has increasingly emphasized the impacts of habitat fragmentation on the continued viability of wildlife populations. Development, in the form of roads, trails and other infrastructure, can have negative effects on habitat suitability and wildlife more generally. Impacts include changes in wildlife behavior and activity due to an increase in human presence; negative effects on species abundance; loss of habitat and spread of invasive species; increased forms of pollution, including noise and light; species’ loss of access to crucial habitat and resources due to road and human avoidance; decreased population viability; increased potential for human-wildlife conflicts; and direct wildlife mortality. See, for example, Benítez-López et al. 2010; Bennett et al. 2011; Gelbard and Belnap 2003; Jaeger et al. 2005; Jones et al. 2015; Mortensen et al. 2009; Trombulak et al. 2000. It is core to Boulder County Parks and Open Space’s (BCPOS) mission and goals to balance resource management and conservation with meeting the needs of the public. Yet, with more and more people coming to Colorado and settling on the Front Range, those in charge of managing our public lands are feeling an ever increasing pressure to accommodate the needs of wildlife while at the same time ensuring satisfactory experiences for the recreating public. -
Habitat Fragmentation Experiments
Review A Survey and Overview of Habitat Fragmentation Experiments DIANE M. DEBINSKI* AND ROBERT D. HOLT† *Department of Animal Ecology, 124 Science II, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, U.S.A., email [email protected] †Natural History Museum and Center for Biodiversity Research, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, U.S.A., email [email protected] Abstract: Habitat destruction and fragmentation are the root causes of many conservation problems. We conducted a literature survey and canvassed the ecological community to identify experimental studies of terrestrial habitat fragmentation and to determine whether consistent themes were emerging from these studies. Our survey revealed 20 fragmentation experiments worldwide. Most studies focused on effects of fragmentation on species richness or on the abundance(s) of particular species. Other important themes were the effect of fragmentation in interspecific interactions, the role of corridors and landscape connectivity in in- dividual movements and species richness, and the influences of edge effects on ecosystem services. Our com- parisons showed a remarkable lack of consistency in results across studies, especially with regard to species richness and abundance relative to fragment size. Experiments with arthropods showed the best fit with the- oretical expectations of greater species richness on larger fragments. Highly mobile taxa such as birds and mammals, early-successional plant species, long-lived species, and generalist predators did not respond in the “expected” manner. Reasons for these discrepancies included edge effects, competitive release in the habitat fragments, and the spatial scale of the experiments. One of the more consistently supported hypotheses was that movement and species richness are positively affected by corridors and connectivity, respectively. -
Habitat Fragmentation Provides a Competitive Advantage to an Invasive Tree Squirrel, Sciurus Carolinensis
Biol Invasions DOI 10.1007/s10530-017-1560-8 ORIGINAL PAPER Habitat fragmentation provides a competitive advantage to an invasive tree squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis Tyler Jessen . Yiwei Wang . Christopher C. Wilmers Received: 13 April 2017 / Accepted: 2 September 2017 Ó Springer International Publishing AG 2017 Abstract Changes in the composition of biological (Sciurus griseus) by non-native eastern gray tree communities can be elicited by competitive exclusion, squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). We tested this wherein a species is excluded from viable habitat by a hypothesis along a continuum of invasion across three superior competitor. Yet less is known about the role study sites in central California. We found that within of environmental change in facilitating or mitigating the developed areas of the University of California at exclusion in the context of invasive species. In these Santa Cruz campus and city of Santa Cruz, S. situations, decline in a native species can be due to the carolinensis excluded S. griseus from viable habitat. effects of habitat change, or due to direct effects from The competitive advantage of S. carolinensis may be invasive species themselves. This is summarized by due to morphological and/or behavioral adaptation to the ‘‘driver-passenger’’ concept of native species loss. terrestrial life in fragmented hardwood forests. We We present a multi-year study of tree squirrels that classify S. carolinensis as a ‘‘driver’’ of the decline of tested the hypothesis that tree canopy fragmentation, native S. griseus in areas with high tree canopy often a result of human development, influenced the fragmentation. Future habitat fragmentation in west- replacement of native western gray tree squirrels ern North America may result in similar invasion dynamics between these species. -
FOREST ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT 2019‐20 Student Handbook Ecosystem Science and Management College of Agricultural Sciences the Pennsylvania State University
FOREST ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT 2019‐20 Student Handbook Ecosystem Science and Management College of Agricultural Sciences The Pennsylvania State University ecosystems.psu.edu September 2019 Table of Contents Ecosystem Science and Management Department ............................................................................................... 3 Statement on Diversity and Inclusion .................................................................................................................3 Undergraduate Programs Office ............................................................................................................................ 3 Forest Ecosystem Management Undergraduate Program .................................................................................... 4 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... ..4 Mission ...............................................................................................................................................................5 Required Field Equipment......................................................................................................................................5 Excel and Technology Resources ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6 Forest Ecosystem Management Curriculum Requirements .................................................................................. 6 Community and Urban Forest Management (CURFM) Option ........................................................................ -
Green Infrastructure Design for Transport Projects: a Road Map To
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN FOR TRANSPORT PROJECTS A ROAD MAP TO PROTECTING ASIA’S WILDLIFE BIODIVERSITY DECEMBER 2019 ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE DESIGN FOR TRANSPORT PROJECTS A ROAD MAP TO PROTECTING ASIA’S WILDLIFE BIODIVERSITY DECEMBER 2019 ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO) © 2019 Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City, 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines Tel +63 2 8632 4444; Fax +63 2 8636 2444 www.adb.org Some rights reserved. Published in 2019. ISBN 978-92-9261-991-6 (print), 978-92-9261-992-3 (electronic) Publication Stock No. TCS189222 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/TCS189222 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by ADB in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area, or by using the term “country” in this document, ADB does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/. -
Habitat Fragmentation a Serious Problem for Bobwhites and Many Other Wildlife Species
BOBWHITE QUAIL INITIATIVE Habitat Fragmentation A serious problem for bobwhites and many other wildlife species Seventh in a series on management techniques to improve habitat for quail A common complaint voiced by land managers who Data collected in Georgia’s Bobwhite Quail Initiative (BQI) are trying to restore or increase quail populations is support the concept that a landscape comprised of large that the same intensity of habitat management, which habitat fragments that are relatively close together should once resulted in high numbers of bobwhites, now yields support higher quail densities than a landscape with small little or no quail population response. Often this occurs habitat fragments that are widely separated. In general, on small tracts of land (less than 2,000 acres) located bobwhite occurrence is higher on large BQI-managed in landscapes that are in poor condition for quail. In fields and where the fields are close together than on small short, the landscape has gradually changed from a “sea” BQI-managed fields that are widely separated. of quail habitat (i.e. grassland-forb habitat consisting of native grasses, weeds, briars and shrubs) to a fragmented landscape comprised of small and often widely separated “islands” or fragments of quail habitat. This process where a continuous habitat is divided into smaller and smaller pieces is referred to as habitat fragmentation, and it appears to be one of the most critical problems currently facing quail and many other wildlife species. Habitat fragmentation is most prevalent and problematic for quail management and restoration in landscapes where closed canopy hardwoods and pines, exotic grass pastures, large agricultural fields and suburban sprawl have replaced the low intensity, but extensive, farming and forestry of the past.