Abstract
Landscape metrics have been of game changing importance in the analysis of ecosystems’ composition and landscape cohesion. With the increasing urban and agricultural expansion, the natural flora and fauna of many highly diverse areas have been degraded. Fragmentation of ecosystems and habitats have stressed the biodiversity of Belize. To understand the dynamics of this change, a study was conducted using three moderately separate years of ecosystem landscape data. The metrics used for the analysis were area-weighted mean shape index (AWMSI), mean shape index (MSI), edge density (ED), mean patch size (MPS), number of patches (NUMP), and class area (CA). These metrics were produced for the years 2001, 2011, and 2017. The classes of agricultural use, lowland savannas, mangroves and littoral forests, urban, and wetlands were the subjects for analysis. Using the GIS extension Patch Analyst, parametric runs were performed. From these results, a one-way ANOVA test of the NUMP, Tukey HSD test, and Scheffé Multiple Comparison test were performed. The results indicate that there has been significant habitat fragmentation, especially from the years 2001 to 2011. Agricultural areas increased by 19.37% in just 10 years, with the NUMP of some habitats increasing by 284%. The results also show fluctuation in ED and a decrease in overall MPS, all indicating high fragmentation. These changes have been mostly induced due to the expansion of agricultural activities and urbanization, especially in the northern parts of Belize. It is imperative that additional policies be implemented to deter the effects of habitat fragmentation upon the existing ecosystems of Belize and elsewhere.
Highlights
The results show that there was a significant change for all the biotic classes from the years 2001 to 2017
The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results attained from the test between groups of years showed that the populations from datasets of years 2001 and 2011 were significantly uneven
This result coincides with the variation that is seen in class area (CA) and number of patches (NUMP) from these respective years
Summary
When natural habitat is altered, both its composition and configuration change. This change is called fragmentation [1]. Habitat breakages or the degree of patchiness of a habitat is a result of anthropogenic activities [2]. As anthropogenic pressures continuously contract habitual areas, the ecosystems within these areas become drastically disrupted and degraded. The process of this degradation can be summarized in four stages: perforation, dissection, dissipation, and shrinkage (Figure 1). These impacts are mainly influenced by the increment of land use [4].
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