Abstract:Ecological networks facilitate the mobility and vitality of species populations by providing a network of habitat patches that are embedded in a traversable landscape matrix. Climate change and land-use change pose threats to biodiversity, which can potentially be overcome by ecological networks. Yet, systematic assessments of ecological network performance under conditions of climate change and landuse change are rare. In this special issue we explore and evaluate approaches to assess the functionality of eco… Show more
“…Studies have also demonstrated that diverse urban green areas containing high diversity of vegetation types are rich in bird biodiversity and promote high native bird biodiversity (Callaghan et al 2019). For Bakker et al (2015), ecological networks connecting patches of habitat can help species overcome the impacts of land-use change.…”
Green areas drawn on a city plan represent open spaces that have different meanings for humans and wildlife. Diverse kinds of green may influence species viability in urban environments. It is necessary to understand what those areas mean for wildlife populations and how land-use changes affect habitats and movements for making scientifically defensible planning and design decisions. My objective was to demonstrate how open space and urban development patterns affect the viability of wildlife populations in urbanizing landscapes from a movements perspective. Eight scenarios for 2060 for an urbanizing area near Portland, Oregon combined four open space (none, corridors, parks, and network) with two urban development patterns (compact and dispersed). Dispersal model HexSim simulated three target species – Red-legged frog (Rana aurora aurora), Western meadowlark (Sturnella neclecta) and Douglas squirrel (Tamasciurus douglasii) – movements on those scenarios to compare and contrast sustained populations to the ca. 2010 baseline landscape. Network scenarios presented the largest number of frog breeders. Greenway scenarios showed the largest populations of squirrels. Park and network scenarios sustained viable populations of meadowlarks, but park scenarios performed best. Compact development scenarios performed best for most indicators, while dispersed development scenarios performed better for meadowlarks. Network scenarios performed best when considering the collective of species. Networks presented more diverse habitats, sustaining higher diversity of species. For plans to sustain more species, more comprehensive and diverse habitats must be promoted, otherwise trade-offs should be expected – like the extinction of meadowlarks in greenway scenarios.
“…Studies have also demonstrated that diverse urban green areas containing high diversity of vegetation types are rich in bird biodiversity and promote high native bird biodiversity (Callaghan et al 2019). For Bakker et al (2015), ecological networks connecting patches of habitat can help species overcome the impacts of land-use change.…”
Green areas drawn on a city plan represent open spaces that have different meanings for humans and wildlife. Diverse kinds of green may influence species viability in urban environments. It is necessary to understand what those areas mean for wildlife populations and how land-use changes affect habitats and movements for making scientifically defensible planning and design decisions. My objective was to demonstrate how open space and urban development patterns affect the viability of wildlife populations in urbanizing landscapes from a movements perspective. Eight scenarios for 2060 for an urbanizing area near Portland, Oregon combined four open space (none, corridors, parks, and network) with two urban development patterns (compact and dispersed). Dispersal model HexSim simulated three target species – Red-legged frog (Rana aurora aurora), Western meadowlark (Sturnella neclecta) and Douglas squirrel (Tamasciurus douglasii) – movements on those scenarios to compare and contrast sustained populations to the ca. 2010 baseline landscape. Network scenarios presented the largest number of frog breeders. Greenway scenarios showed the largest populations of squirrels. Park and network scenarios sustained viable populations of meadowlarks, but park scenarios performed best. Compact development scenarios performed best for most indicators, while dispersed development scenarios performed better for meadowlarks. Network scenarios performed best when considering the collective of species. Networks presented more diverse habitats, sustaining higher diversity of species. For plans to sustain more species, more comprehensive and diverse habitats must be promoted, otherwise trade-offs should be expected – like the extinction of meadowlarks in greenway scenarios.
“…Ecological networks are frequently discussed with regard to nature conservation and land use planning [1][2][3][4] and represent an important element for resolving issues related to species and habitat protection [5,6]. Ecological networks are key factors for biodiversity protection and enhancement because of their ability to counteract fragmentation and create and strengthen relationships and exchanges among isolated elements [7].…”
Abstract:With the continued social and economic development of northern China, landscape fragmentation has placed increasing pressure on the ecological system of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region. To maintain the integrity of ecological processes under the influence of human activities, we must maintain effective connections between habitats and limit the impact of ecological isolation. In this paper, landscape elements were identified based on a kernel density estimation, including forests, grasslands, orchards and wetlands. The spatial configuration of ecological networks was analysed by the integrated density index, and a natural breaks classification was performed for the landscape type data and the results of the landscape spatial distribution analysis. The results showed that forest and grassland are the primary constituents of the core areas and act as buffer zones for the region's ecological network. Rivers, as linear patches, and orchards, as stepping stones, form the main body of the ecological corridors, and isolated elements are distributed mainly in the plain area. Orchards have transition effects. Wetlands act as connections between different landscapes in the region. Based on these results, we make suggestions for the protection and planning of ecological networks. This study can also provide guidance for the coordinated development of the BTH region.
“…Many of these ENs associated with any one plantation are connected with each other. This extensiveness of ENs is significant as they are subject to the globally significant El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) (Cai et al 2014 ) which arguably is important for how these ENs might be effective given the inevitability of global climate change (Aichi Target 15) (Bakker et al 2015 ). Fig.…”
Landscape-scale ecological networks (ENs) are interconnected conservation corridors of high-quality habitat used to mitigate the adverse effects of landscape fragmentation and to connect with protected areas. The effectiveness of ENs for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem function has been challenged. Here we show how an extensive system of ENs of remnant historic land was put in place at a large spatial scale (>0.5 million ha) in a plantation forestry context in a global biodiversity hotspot in southern Africa. These ENs can maintain indigenous and historic compositional and functional biodiversity, even in an area prone to the challenging effects of El Niño. Furthermore, ENs increase the effective size of local protected areas. Socio-ecological solutions and financial viability are also integrated as part of practical implementation of ENs. By adopting a retrospective analytical approach, biodiversity is maintained while also having productive forestry, making this a powerful agro-ecological approach on a large conservation-significant scale.
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