Reviewing four decades of fragmentation metrics
A review of fragmentation metrics since 1990 shows how methodologies have shifted over time, and what work still needs to be done to ensure transferable and ecologically grounded research.
Can human mobility data help improve landscape connectivity?
GPS data from smartphones has the potential to transform connectivity conservation by revealing when and where human presence actually disrupts wildlife movement, allowing managers to identify barriers, prioritize mitigation, and design landscapes that better sustain ecological connections.
Resolving a 50-year debate: fragmentation decreases biodiversity on multiple scales
A global-wide comparison between continuous and fragmented landscapes leverages data from over 4,000 taxa to refute claims that habitat fragmentation can increase biodiversity at landscape scales.
Habitat fragmentation shapes tick-borne disease dynamics
Tick and mammal surveys along the California coast show that landscape variables such as habitat connectivity can be important predictors of where diseases, their vectors, and reservoir hosts might be found.
Habitat fragmentation in conservation versus restoration
Although the impacts of fragmentation per se for biodiversity conservation are still under debate, the impacts for restoration seem more clear-cut.
Rethinking landscape ecology and metapopulation dynamics
A more realistic exploration of metapopulation dynamics in fragmenting landscapes reveals that species may respond in ways that contradict classic expectations.
Human-assisted migration for the genetic rescue of small populations
How do we best manage small and fragmented populations? Human-assisted migration is a potentially powerful management strategy for the purpose of introducing new genetic material.
Exposure to past disturbances affects species’ response to current habitat fragmentation
Forest species that evolved in high-disturbance ecosystems show less sensitivity to habitat edges, and are more prevalent in high-latitude regions.
Global road density and habitat fragmentation
A new project has mapped over 21 million km of roads across 222 countries to create the most comprehensive and detailed road density map to date.
Habitat conservation alone cannot fully protect species from the effects of climate change
A new study finds that habitat-based conservation strategies such as corridors and habitat restoration cannot sufficiently compensate species’ range loss caused by climate change.
Some species will successfully shift ranges under climate change. Many will not.
Climate change. Forest loss. Agricultural intensification. Urbanization and policy change and international markets. The list of factors that influence ecological networks (i.e. connectivity) over the long-term seems to be growing daily, and parsing out their [...]
Prioritizing patches as habitat losses accumulate
Not all patches are created equal. When making priorities to conserve biodiversity given limited resources, some patches will inevitably be lost. Conventional methodology looks to rank patches individually, and then allow less important patches to [...]
Digests for Debate: Negative Effects of Corridors
Haddad and colleagues have published another useful assessment of the current state of affairs in the corridor world, this time focusing on the possible negative effects of corridors. Their paper includes a well-defined literature review [...]
When corridors spread invasive fire ants to the detriment of native ants (and when they don’t)
Concerns about negative effects of corridors have been raised for decades. A principal concerns is that corridors could facilitate the spread invasive species. The reasoning is that the same principles that support corridors for [...]
Using network theory to prioritize management
Although connectivity tools are numerous and growing steadily, there's no point in managing for connectivity without the practicality of knowing how to prioritize management decisions. Questions such as which patches are most important, which corridors [...]
Assessing the variables used to assess corridors
A new article about conservation corridors is a must-read for researchers who want to make progress in understanding how corridors work, and for land managers who want to understand whether their corridors are accomplishing desired [...]