Forest fragmentation and its correlation to human land use change in the state of Selangor, peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

In many tropical countries forest fragmentation caused by changes in human land use activities is of primary concern for sustainability. In Malaysia this relationship is usually described without any quantitative measurement to show the implications for land use planning and management. To understand this relationship, this study developed a single forest fragmentation index based on a combination of three landscape metrics, i.e., non-forest area, forest edge bordered by human land use and patch size coefficient of variation, using the state of Selangor, Malaysia as a case study. Two defined natural landscapes; wetland and forest landscapes were used as a basic unit of analyses of pattern change of forest fragmentation and its relationship to human land use in three temporal years of 1966, 1981 and 1995. Results showed that forest fragmentation in the state of Selangor generally increased during the time periods studied. Multiple regression analysis showed that human land use is an important determinant of forest fragmentation, but the significance of several land uses as explanatory variables to forest fragmentation changed temporally. Oil palm and rubber plantations were apparently the major contributors to forest fragmentation. Differences in fragmentation pattern occurred between the two natural landscapes. Forest fragmentation increased in the wetland landscape, whereas not much change was observed in the forest landscape. Oil palm plantation appeared to be the major contributor to forest fragmentation in the wetland landscape, whereas rubber plantation was the major factor in the forest landscape. This study also revealed that knowledge of forest fragmentation through a single index in different natural landscapes provides a pathway for identifying which forested areas are highly threatened and must be given priority in strategic planning of nature conservation. In conclusion, it is vital to understand the relationship between changes in human land use and degree of forest degradation measured by a single index in order to describe the implications for land use planning and management.