Abstract
Conservation and transport decision makers must deal with many competing criteria in order to find the optimal connectivity of habitat patches in order to maximize organisms’ ability to traverse the landscape successfully. Thus, there is an increasing interest in prioritization of habitat patches by their contribution to overall landscape connectivity. Many different indices can be used to quantify structural and functional landscape connectivity. However, landscape connectivity indices alone do not clearly define conservation priorities for habitat patches. In this study priority values for each available habitat patch were calculated using multiple criteria spatial decision support techniques. As criteria for prioritization, spatial graph-based element properties (habitat patch size, number of corridors connected to a habitat patch, etc.) were characterized for each habitat patch. Graph-based connectivity rules for each habitat patch within a landscape (in conjunction with largest patch size, maximum number of corridors with a minimum length connected to a habitat patch, etc.) were defined and applied. Each criterion’s importance was assessed. Criteria-based ranking of habitat patches within a graph better indicated exact critical habitat patches than connectivity index alone, especially when changes in network occur. Simulations in the case study of Lithuania showed that barriers (road fences to keep animals off the road) without prompt establishment of animal crossings may realign complexes of an ecological networks by reducing the importance of adjacent and increasing the importance of more distant patches. Such distant patches may become essential, and can sometimes be the only elements preserving the realigned ecological network.
Highlights
There is an increasing interest in considering landscape connectivity and fragmentation in landscape planning and habitat conservation
The objectives of this study were: (1) to define a new spatial graph element properties based calculation procedure in order to perform the relative ranking of habitat patches within a landscape by their contribution to overall structural landscape connectivity; (2) to compare the TOPSIS rank value reaction to a common connectivity index especially when changes in landscape occur; and (3) to validate the new calculation procedure by intersecting Lithuanian ecological networks with road fences in order to show how realignments of connectivity affect adjacent and distant habitat patches
In order to perform ranking of habitat patches according to connectivity rules, the importance of spatial graph element based properties as a criteria and function has been defined for all components (Table 2) and further used for identification of which criteria and under what condition is more important than the other
Summary
There is an increasing interest in considering landscape connectivity and fragmentation in landscape planning and habitat conservation. There are many graph and non-graph based landscape connectivity indices which may be used for the prioritization of habitat patches and corridors for conservation purposes (Baranyi et al 2011; Pascual-Hortal, Saura 2006; Tischendorf, Fahring 2000, 2003). There is an increasing interest in prioritization of habitat patches by their contribution to overall landscape connectivity (Baranyi et al 2011; Pascual-Hortal, Saura 2006). The objectives of this study were: (1) to define a new spatial graph element properties based calculation procedure in order to perform the relative ranking of habitat patches within a landscape by their contribution to overall structural landscape connectivity; (2) to compare the TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution) rank value reaction to a common connectivity index especially when changes in landscape occur; and (3) to validate the new calculation procedure by intersecting Lithuanian ecological networks with road fences (to keep animals off the road) in order to show how realignments of connectivity affect adjacent and distant habitat patches
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