Effective Mesh Size Research Articles

Mitigating the extinction risk of globally threatened and endemic mountainous Orthoptera species: Parnassiana parnassica and Oropodisma parnassica

Abstract Orthoptera species are vulnerable to extinction on a global scale. Greece hosts 35% (380 species) of the European Orthoptera fauna with a high degree of endemic (37%) and threatened species (37%). We sampled 46 plots (100 m2) to investigate the distribution and ecological requirement of two Greek mountain endemic and red‐listed species: Parnassiana parnassica (Ramme, 1926; Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Critically Endangered [CR]) and Oropodisma parnassica (Scudder, 1897; Orthoptera: Caelifera; Endangered [EN]). Species had a restricted geographical range, with two isolated populations confined to high altitudes (1527–2320 m) of Mts. Parnassos and Elikonas. Species distribution models showed that slope affected their suitable habitat, together with the topographic position index and the annual temperature range (P. parnassica), and the amount of green vegetation and evapotranspiration (O. parnassica). Connectivity analysis showed that P. parnassica‐suitable habitat consisted of few larger and well‐connected patches (26 patches: effective mesh size of 1.57 km2) and that O. parnassica‐suitable habitat consisted of more but smaller and less connected patches (56 patches: effective mesh size of 0.3 km2). Generalised linear models showed that the population density of P. parnassica was negatively influenced by the height of herbaceous vegetation and that of O. parnassica was positively influenced by altitude. The species face three main imminent threats: land take, wildfires and global warming, whereas livestock grazing seems to have a positive impact and skiing a neutral impact on their populations. We assessed both species as EN after International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) criteria and a suite of conservation measures are suggested for their status improvement.

Impacts of Urban Form on Carbon Emissions Under the Goal of Carbon Emission Peak and Carbon Neutrality: A Case Study of the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Clarifying the mechanism of influence of urban form on carbon emissions is an important prerequisite for achieving urban carbon emission reduction. Taking the Yangtze River Economic Belt as an example, this study elaborated on the general mechanism of urban form on carbon emissions, used multi-source data to quantitatively evaluate the urban form, and explored the impacts of urban form indicators on carbon emissions from 2005 to 2020 at global and sub-regional scales with the help of spatial econometric models and geodetector, respectively. The results showed that:① The carbon emissions of the Yangtze River Economic Belt increased from 2 365.31 Mt to 4 230.67 Mt, but the growth rate gradually decreased. Its spatial distribution pattern was bipolar, with high-value areas mainly distributed in core cities such as Shanghai and Chongqing and low-value areas concentrated in the western regions of Sichuan and Yunnan. ② The area of construction land in the study area expanded over the past 15 years, but the population density of construction land had been decreasing. The degree of urban fragmentation was decreasing, and the difference between cities was also progressively narrowing. The average regularity of urban shape improved, and the compactness increased significantly. ③ All indicators of urban scale had significant positive effects on carbon emissions at the global scale, urban fragmentation had a significant negative effect in 2005, and the effective mesh size (MESH) indicator of urban compactness showed a significant negative correlation with carbon emissions in the study period. ④ Total class area, patch density, and effective mesh size had the most significant impacts on carbon emissions in upstream cities. Effective mesh size, mean perimeter-area ratio, and total class area had higher influences in midstream cities. Effective mesh size, percentage of like adjacencies, and largest patch index were the key factors to promote carbon reduction in downstream cities. Cities in different regions should comprehensively consider the impacts of various urban form indicators on carbon emissions and then optimize their urban form to promote sustainable development.

Landscape metrics for land use/cover change and green space pattern in Can Tho city in 1998-2020 based on remote sensing and GIS

Changes in land cover/green space in Can Tho city in the period 1998-2020 were analyzed based on remote sensing data and the perspective of landscape ecology. The data collected from JAXA on land cover/land use classification entire Can Tho city in the period 1998-2020 was used to extract landscape metrics and to analyze the changes by a conversion matrix. The result shows a complex change in the urban green space in the period 1998 - 2020 in Can Tho. Research results show that Can Tho city had rice paddies and other croplands accounting for the majority of the land use structure. In the period 1998-2020, the city experienced a major shrinkage in croplands. Although other land use/cover types fluctuated differently, the fragmentation process still prevailed with fragments having discrete connections in space. The process of urbanization occurred with the expansion of built-up, but the concentration level was not high, with small fragments appearing sporadically distributed. However, comparing the landscape indices in the period 1998 – 2020 showed the aggregation process was increasingly taking place, and the level of fragmentation had tended to decrease. This trend was evidenced by the sharp increase in the number of patches, effective mesh size, and splitting index simultaneously with the gradual decline of the LPI index. The research results show high potential in expanding green space in Can Tho as well as application in planning urban green space development.

A fragmented world: mapping the global extent of Anthropogenic Landscape Fragmentation

ABSTRACT Land consumption is a major environmental problem. In relation to it, over the past decades different studies have raised awareness of the importance of a less visible but equally damaging process: growing ‘Anthropogenic Landscape Fragmentation’. The objective of this study is to offer a global portrait of this phenomenon through a map. Following a methodology developed in previous studies, this research builds on the calculation of a widely used index for measuring Anthropogenic Landscape Fragmentation, the effective mesh size (meff). This index considers existing human settlements, as well as global railway and road networks. The maps illustrate the heterogeneity in the distribution of Anthropogenic Landscape Fragmentation worldwide. In addition, the study calculates average fragmentation values at the national level and explores the correlation of these values with other variables such as population density or the Human Development Index, revealing a positive trend but with a weak correlation.

Addressing the Boundary and Modifiable Areal Unit Problems Simultaneously when Measuring Landscape Fragmentation Using Patch-Based Metrics: a Case Study of Effective Mesh Size in Nova Scotia, Canada

Addressing the Boundary and Modifiable Areal Unit Problems Simultaneously when Measuring Landscape Fragmentation Using Patch-Based Metrics: a Case Study of Effective Mesh Size in Nova Scotia, Canada

Greenspace pattern, meteorology and air pollutant in Taiwan: A multifaceted connection

Air pollution is a global environmental concern that poses a significant threat to human health. Given the impact of urbanization and climate change, green planning is being encouraged to improve air quality. The study aims to examine the intricate relationships between greenspace pattern and outdoor air around 73 in-situ stations over Taiwan during the dry (November to April) and wet (May to December) seasons from 2015 to 2020. To achieve this, Partial Least Squares – Structural Equation Modeling was utilized to analyze the interactions among seven dimensions: greenspace – GS, gaseous pollutant – GP, particle pollutant – PP, O3 – OZONE, air temperature – TEMP, relative humidity – RH, and wind speed – WS. The GS involves seven landscape metrics: edge density, total edge, effective mesh size, largest patch area, percentage of landscape, total core area, and patch cohesion index. The results indicate that the GS has a stronger effect on the GP, whereas its effect on the PP is weaker during the dry season compared to the wet season. While its effect on the TEMP is weaker, it shows a slightly stronger effect on the RH during the dry season. Moreover, the GS mediates the air pollutant dimensions during the two seasons, with the RH acting as a primary mediator. The meteorological dimensions primarily have a greater influence on the air pollutant dimensions during the dry season than the wet season. Consequently, the GS explains 11.3 % more and 18.4 % less of the variances in the RH and TEMP during the dry season, respectively. Moreover, the GS and meteorological dimensions yield a seasonal difference in explained variance, with the highest value observed for the OZONE (R2 = 24.2 %), followed by the PP (R2 = 9.7 %) and GP (R2 = 7.7 %). Notably, seven landscape metrics serve as potential indicators for green strategies in urban planning to enhance outdoor air quality.

Current status of the remaining Mexican cloud forests: landscape findings and conservation initiatives.

Tropical montane cloud forests are known for their unique biodiversity and their critical role in sustaining ecosystem services; however, approximately 50% of their original cover in Mexico was estimated to have been lost by 1998. The Mexican ecoregion that supports these ecosystems experienced one of the highest rates of deforestation between 2001 and 2021. Thus, a more recent evaluation of Mexico's cloud forests is required. There is limited data on the landscape structure of cloud forests in Mexico, despite the possible application of landscape factors in conservation planning. Here, we estimated the average total area, number of patches, effective mesh size, total edge, and the shape of mixed forests that was present in 2020 within polygons of cloud forests defined in 1999 by Mexico's National Commission for the Use and Knowledge of Biodiversity (CONABIO for its acronym in Spanish). We estimated land cover using data from the North American Land Change Monitoring System, which classifies cloud forests as mixed forests. We found that eight out of the 109 polygons have no mixed forests and that an average of 49% of the 1,768,914 ha of cloud forests polygons are now covered by mixed forests distributed across 13 states. Additionally, within the remaining 101 polygons that do contain this type of vegetation, mixed forest is distributed on average across 140 patches (range = 1-1,473); 80% of these forests have very low effective mesh size values; 90% of them have low total edge values (<2,000 km); and their shapes tend to be uniformly distributed. Furthermore, most of cloud forest polygons are located outside of federal protected areas. Overall, our results suggest that the remaining Mexican cloud forests are extremely vulnerable and fragmented and that their extent has steadily declined since 1999. To ensure the survival of Mexican cloud forests, it will be crucial to prioritize high-diversity areas, strengthen protection in critical zones, establish ecological corridors, encourage sustainable practices, and actively engage local communities. This study highlights the complex issues and inherent heterogeneity that characterize cloud forest ecosystems in Mexico and provides crucial insights for conservation.

Assessing the impact of gold mining on forest cover in the Surinamese Amazon from 1997 to 2019: A semi-automated satellite-based approach

The Amazon rainforest has faced extensive deforestation for decades due to urban growth, agricultural expansion, logging and mining. Mining however has been relatively understudied in the Amazon. The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop an effective cloud-based classification approach coupled with an innovative semi-automated reclassification method; (2) to quantify the mining extent and its impacts on forest cover in Suriname from 1997 to 2019; and (3) to evaluate the impact of mining on the structure and health of the forest. Landsat 5 and 8 images were used for the initial land-use/land-cover classification using the classification and regression trees algorithm in Google Earth Engine. The resulting classified maps were reclassified in a semi-automated model to correct misclassifications between mining and urban pixels. The final maps were used to analyse the expansion of mining and its impacts on forest cover, structure (using the fragmentation metric effective mesh size), and forest health (using the phenology metric peak greenness). The combined approach resulted in an improvement in mining detection accuracy from 72% (65% producer, 79% user) to 89.5% (84% producer accuracy, 95% user). The results showed that mining increased from 69.4 km2 in 1997 to 431.6 km2 in 2019, an increase by 522% over 22 years, which led to 421.3 km2 of forest loss, of which 85% was due to artisanal and small-scale mining (ASGM). The loss of forest for ASGM resulted in greater fragmentation, with a decrease in effective mesh size by 122.8 km2 compared to a decrease by 83 km2 caused by industrial mining. Mining also caused a decrease in the health of the surrounding forest, with a larger decrease in peak greenness due to ASGM compared to industrial mining. The results demonstrate the potential of this approach that leverages cloud-based machine learning with a semi-automated reclassification to allow for rapid, accurate, and potentially global mining detection.

A scaling investigation of urban form features in Latin America cities.

This paper examines scaling behaviors of urban landscape and street design metrics with respect to city population in Latin America. We used data from the SALURBAL project, which has compiled and harmonized data on health, social, and built environment for 371 Latin American cities above 100,000 inhabitants. These metrics included total urbanized area, effective mesh size, area in km2 and number of streets. We obtained scaling relations by regressing log(metric) on log (city population). The results show an overall sub-linear scaling behavior of most variables, indicating a relatively lower value of each variable in larger cities. We also explored the potential influence of colonization on the current built environment, by analyzing cities colonized by Portuguese (Brazilian cities) or Spaniards (Other cities in Latin America) separately. We found that the scaling behaviors are similar for both sets of cities.

Analysis of the relationship between landscape fragmentation and ecosystem service value in northern Shaanxi, China.

Landscape fragmentation affected the structure and function of the ecosystem, resulting in an impact on ecosystem service value (ESV). This paper analyzed the correlation between landscape fragmentation and ESV using land-use data from northern Shaanxi covering three periods from 2000 to 2020. The paper employed the granularity deduction method, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and value equivalent method to study the fragmentation characteristics of the regional landscape and the spatial-temporal evolution of ESV. The research findings indicated that the optimal granularity was 150 m, and the amplitude was 5 km × 5 km. The study found that the degree of landscape fragmentation was positively correlated with patch density (PD), division index (DIVISION), and Shannon's diversity index (SHDI), while negatively correlated with the largest patch index (LPI), patch cohesion index (COHESION), and effective mesh size (MESH). Moreover, the total ESV in the study area showed a decreasing trend, with grass, forest, and cultivated land being the three land-use types that contributed the most value. The analysis indicated that there was a negative correlation between the degree of landscape fragmentation and ESV. As the degree of landscape fragmentation increased, ESV decreased. The correlation between landscape fragmentation and ESV discussed in this paper provided valuable insights into the optimal utilization and sustainable development of regional land resources.

Assessing the fragmentation-barrier effect in urban areas: The case study of Thessaloniki, Greece

Transport infrastructure is an integral part of every urban area serving the accessibility and mobility needs of people and goods. However, despite its significant role, transport infrastructure, due to its geometric and functional characteristics, can sometimes act as a physical or psychological barrier to the movement of vulnerable road users, thus fragmenting the urban space. The fragmentation of the built environment, or in other words, the “barrier effect”, is a problem that has attracted growing attention during the last decades as a consequence of its severe negative impacts, the entailing social and economic inequalities, and the increasing population ageing. In this context, the current paper presents a methodological approach for assessing the degree of fragmentation of urban areas. The proposed methodological approach utilises the well-established landscape fragmentation indicator “effective mesh size - meff” and attempts to adapt it to the urban environment. Moreover, it presents a slight modification in its structure, thus leading to values ranging from 0 to 1, to facilitate comparative analyses between different areas and favour the easier interpretation of the results. In order to highlight any issues of usability and credibility, the methodological approach presented in the paper was also applied to the seven municipalities that comprise the Metropolitan Area of Thessaloniki. The pilot implementation underlined significant differences between the aforementioned cases and highlighted the value and reliability of the methodological approach.

Ecological connectivity as a planning tool for the conservation of wildlife in cities

The application of ecological theory in urban planning is becoming more important as land managers focus on increasing biodiversity to improve human welfare in cities. Authorities must decide not only what types of biodiversity-focused infrastructure should be prioritized, but also where new resources should be positioned and existing resources protected or enhanced. Measuring the contribution of green infrastructure to landscape connectivity can maximise the successful return and conservation of urban nature. By using ecological connectivity theory as a planning tool, the effect of different interventions (both positive and negative) on the ease with which wildlife can move across the landscape can be compared. Here we outline an approach to a) quantify ecological connectivity for different urban wildlife species and b) use this to test different urban planning scenarios using QGIS. We demonstrate extensions which improve the application of this method as a planning tool:•Conversion of the effective mesh size value (meff) to a “probability of connectedness” (Pc, for easier interpretation by local government and comparisons between planning scenarios).•An approach for measuring species-specific connectivity, including how to decide what spatial information should be included and which types of species might be most responsive to connectivity planning.•Guidance for using the method to compare different urban planning scenarios.

Settlements along Main Road Axes: Blessing or Curse? Evaluating the Barrier Effect in a Small Greek Settlement

Being the heart of every human settlement, the road network constitutes a significant component of the built environment that serves the accessibility and mobility needs and supports economic activities. Despite its positive role, the road network, in some cases, due to increased geometric and functional characteristics, can act as a barrier to the movement of vulnerable road users, thus fragmenting the urban space and creating the phenomenon of the “barrier effect”. The barrier effect is considered detrimental to the mobility of vulnerable users, causing delays or even cancellation of trips, increasing collision risk, limiting access to services, posing negative impacts on public health, and loosening social ties. In this context, the current paper focuses on a settlement in Greece (Dispilio) developed along two national roads and comprehensively evaluates the barrier effect. More specifically, the presented methodological approach attempts to investigate the actual and the perceived dimension of this phenomenon by applying well-established metrics and landscape indicators, such as the effective mesh size, and conducting a questionnaire survey, respectively. The overall research results highlighted interesting findings regarding the intensity of the barrier effect in the examined area and outlined some critical interventions that could be implemented in similar cases.

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Landscape Transformation in Western Balkans’ Metropolitan Areas

Human-caused landscape transformation represents a danger to conserving the Earth’s natural habitats. Landscape fragmentation (LF) caused by transportation infrastructure and urban development poses a threat to human and environmental health by increasing traffic noise and pollution, reducing the size and viability of wildlife populations, facilitating the spread of invasive species, and reducing the recreational qualities of the landscape. It is especially noticeable in the metropolitan areas of developing countries due to rapid and unsupervised urban sprawl. In this context, this study aims to protect natural landscapes and biodiversity, promoting forms of sustainable development. To exemplify our aim, we bring a spatio-temporal analysis of landscape change comparing three metropolitan areas in the Western Balkans (WB). First, we compare the land use land cover (LULC) changes in Tirana (Albania), Skopje (North Macedonia), and Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The comparison was based on the Urban Atlas (UA) data of 2012 and 2018. The analysis was performed on two levels, at the metropolitan and urban spatial scales. Apart from descriptive statistics about the changes in surface area and patch counts, we used effective mesh size (meff) as a landscape metric to quantify the LF level. Our results show that each city has faced significant LULC change between 2012 and 2018, with a dominant increase in artificial surfaces. Furthermore, the cumulative natural surface area reduction is followed by increased landscape patch counts, indicating an increased LF at both levels. This study enhances public awareness about the landscape transformation trends in the developing metropolitan regions of WB. The respective administrative bodies at both local and central levels are invited to consider our results and adopt proper measurements to reduce the adverse consequences of subsequent spatial development decisions.

Effect of landscape fragmentation on soil quality and ecosystem services in land use and landform types

This study was carried out to model the ecosystem services, i.e., habitat quality, carbon storage, nutrient export, and soil export using the InVEST software and soil quality through the integrated quality index across Shoor River basin, southwestern Iran, as well as their relationships to landscape metrics using the Pearson’s correlation and ordered least square regression. The interactions between ecosystem services efficiency, soil quality and landscape fragmentation were also evaluated using the ternary analysis. The results showed that the northern and eastern parts of the study area had more suitability to provide soil quality, habitat quality, carbon storage, and ecosystem service efficiency than the southern and western parts while this trend was the opposite for soil and nutrient exports. The highest soil quality, habitat quality, carbon storage, and ecosystem services efficiency were calculated for the forest's land use and the ridge/tops landform. The highest nutrient and soil exports were also seen in agriculture and rangeland land uses, respectively, as well as for plain and ridge/top landforms, respectively. Statistical analysis confirmed that there were positive and moderate relationships between soil quality to habitat quality and carbon storage and no certain relationships to soil and nutrient export. Moreover, patch density had a negative impact on habitat quality, carbon storage, soil quality, and ecosystem services efficiency and a positive effect on soil and nutrient exports. This trend was the opposite for the largest patch index, patch cohesion index, and effective mesh size. The findings demonstrated that increasing the landscape fragmentation decreased soil quality, habitat quality, carbon storage, and ecosystem services efficiency but increased nutrient and soil exports. Furthermore, the interactions between ecosystem services efficiency, soil quality, and landscape fragmentation were changed under the influence of the dominant land use and landform types across the sub-basins of the study area.

Effectiveness of Different Mesh Size To Release Small Blue Swimming Crab on Trap Fishing

Blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) is a fishery commodity with important economic value and also become the main commodity for export needs. However, crab production dominantly comes from fishing activities using traps and gillnet. The fisher use traps without escape gaps so that small crabs have no chance of escaping from the traps. One alternative way to improve the crab trap selectivity is the use of larger mesh sizes on the wall of the trap. This study aimed to determine the effective mesh size for escaping small crabs. This study was conducted in Fisheries Laboratory, University of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa from July to December 2020. We used different mesh sizes on the trap wall including of 2.0; 2.5; and 3 inches. For all experiments, we used 90 crabs with an average carapace width of 72 mm. The results showed that the pattern of crab when escaping through the net at each mesh size was varied. The crab crept up the netting wall before attempting to escape. The fastest time of crab escapes was found on a 3 inch mesh size with an average time of 10 seconds. Moreover, the highest percentage of crabs that can pass was obtained at the 3-inch mesh size with the value 60%. Based on these results, to increase the catch selectivity we recommend a 3-inch mesh to be used in the collapsible trap wall for blue swimming crab fishing.

Landscape predictors of human elephant conflicts in Chure Terai Madhesh Landscape of Nepal

Human elephant conflict (HEC) is rapidly increasing throughout the Asian elephant range countries including Nepal. HEC occurs in the form of human deaths and injuries, and crop as well as property losses. We compiled 10,798 incidents of HEC including attacks on humans, crop and property losses caused by elephants in the Chure Terai Madhesh Landscape, Nepal, between January 2001 and June 2020. We interviewed 10.3% of the total households affected by HEC using structured questionnaire. We used multivariate analysis to identify landscape predictors associated with HEC. The intensity of HEC was high in the areas with higher forest fragmentation, vicinity to forests, protected areas, and larger coverage of seasonal surface water. Landscape heterogeneity, effective mesh size and altitude also contributed in HEC. Socio-economically marginalized communities living close to forests are more vulnerable to HEC. The spatial risk map of HEC identified Jhapa and Koshi in the eastern region; Parsa and Chitwan in the central region, Bardiya and Kanchanpur in the western region as HEC hotspots. Restoration of forests and corridor functionality in these hotspots could reduce HEC. The comprehensive understanding of HEC from this study provides important insights to devise strategies and actions for mitigating the HEC at the landscape level.

Assessment of ship structure under fatigue loading: FE benchmarking and extended performance analysis

Abstract This paper presents a numerical procedure based on the finite element (FE) method using ANSYS Workbench software to analyse fatigue phenomena in ship structures. Fatigue failure prediction is used as a stress–life approach, when the stress is still in a linear area. This condition is frequently referred as high-cycle fatigue. Five geometric shapes taken from midship points on the structure of a ship are sampled. There are four types of materials: HSLA SAE 950X, medium-carbon steel, SAE 316L, and SAE 304L. The types of loading imposed on each sample include three conditions: zero-based, zero mean, and ratio. Mesh convergence analysis is conducted to determine the most effective mesh shape and size for analysing the structure. The results showed that the configuration of the geometric shapes, materials used, loading schemes, and mean stress theory affect the fatigue characteristics of the structure.

Quantifying Landscape Degradation Following Construction of a Highway Using Landscape Metrics in Southern Iran

Rapid expansion of roads is among the strongest drivers of the loss and degradation of natural habitats. The goal of the present study is to quantify landscape fragmentation and degradation before and after the construction of the Isfahan-Shiraz highway in southern Iran. To this end, the ecological impacts of the highway on forests, rangelands, and protected areas were evaluated. Impacts of the construction of the highway were studied within a 1,000-m buffer around the road, which was then overlaid on maps of forests, rangelands, and protected areas. Class area, number of patches, largest patch index, edge density, landscape shape index, mean patch size, and patch cohesion index were used to gauge changes in the spatial configuration of the landscape; the ecological impacts of the highway were quantified using effective mesh size (MESH), division index, and splitting index. The results indicated that after the construction of the highway, 6,406.9 ha of forest habitat, 16,647.1 ha of rangeland habitat, and 912 of the Tang-e Bostanak Protected Area will be lost. The effective MESH metric showed that after the construction of the highway, the area of forest, rangeland habitats and protected area will decrease by 20,537, 49,149, and 71,822 ha, respectively. Our findings revealed drastic habitat loss and landscape fragmentation associated with construction of the highway, serving as references for conservation planning and development.

Understanding the importance of landscape configuration on ecosystem service bundles at a high resolution in urban landscapes in the UK

ContextLandscape structure is thought to affect the provision of ecosystem service bundles. However, studies of the influence of landscape configuration on ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies in urban areas are limited. This study used Bayesian Belief Networks to predict ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies in the urban area comprising the towns of Milton Keynes, Bedford and Luton, UK.ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to test (1) a Bayesian Belief Network approach for predicting ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies in urban areas and (2) assess whether landscape configuration characteristics affect ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies.MethodsBayesian Belief Network models were used to test the influence of landscape configuration on ecosystem service interactions. The outputs of a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on six ecosystem services and landscape configuration metrics were used as response and explanatory variables, respectively. We employed Spearman’s rank correlation and principal component analysis to identify redundancies between landscape metrics.ResultsWe found that landscape configuration affects ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies. A sensitivity analysis conducted on the principal components showed that landscape configuration metrics core area (CORE) and effective mesh size (MESH) are strong influential determinants of ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that landscape configuration characteristics affect ecosystem service trade-offs and synergies and that a core set of metrics could be used to assess ecosystem service (ES) trade-offs and synergies. The findings may be relevant to planning and urban design and improved ecosystem management.