Patterns Of Forest Fragmentation Research Articles

Assessing Spatio-Temporal Variation and Associated Factors of Forest Fragmentation from Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis and Geo-Detector Analyses: A Case Study of Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province of Eastern China

In the context of economic boom and climate change, monitoring the spatio-temporal dynamics of forest fragmentation induced by disturbances and understanding its corresponding associated factors are critical for developing informed forest management strategies. In this study, based on multi-temporal Landsat images acquired from 1999 to 2020, a SVM classifier was first applied to produce high-accuracy land cover maps in Xinyu City. Next, morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) was implemented to characterize the spatio-temporal patterns of forest fragmentation by producing maps of seven fragmentation components, including the core, islet, perforation, edge, bridge, loop, and branch. Then, both natural and human factors responsible for the observed forest fragmentation dynamics were analyzed using the geo-detector model (GDM). The results showed that over the past two decades, Xinyu City experienced a process of significant forest area loss and exacerbating forest fragmentation. The forest area decreased from 1597.35 km2 in 1999 to 1372.05 km2 in 2020. The areal ratio of core patches decreased by 8.49%, and the areal ratio of edge patches increased by 5.98%. Spatially, the trend of forest fragmentation exhibited a progressive increase from the southern and northern regions towards the central and eastern areas. Large-scale forest core patches were primarily concentrated in the northwestern and southwestern regions, while smaller core patches were found in the eastern and central areas. Notably, human activities, such as distance from the roads and land use diversity, were identified as significantly associated with forest fragmentation. The interaction effect of these factors had a greater impact on forest fragmentation than their individual contributions. In conclusion, Xinyu City possesses the potential to further alleviate forest fragmentation by employing the regional differentiation development strategies: (1) intensive development in the northwest and southern regions; (2) high-density development in the western, northwestern, and southern regions, and (3) conservation development in the southwest, northeast, and east-central regions, thus aligning with the path of local social advancement.

Genetic viability and habitat suitability of the critically endangered southern muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides) in the Atlantic Forest's fragmented landscapes under land use and climate change scenarios

The joint effects of climate change and landscape fragmentation to the genetic viability of isolated populations has barely been addressed for the Atlantic Forest fauna. Therefore, this work explored the potential habitat suitability for the southern muriqui (Brachyteles arachnoides), by modeling climate change, landscape fragmentation, and genetic diversity loss of the species. Maxent was used to model its potential distribution in 2050, with two climate change scenarios. A land use and land cover change model was applied to describe current and future forest fragmentation patterns, and a Population and Habitat Viability Analysis (PHVA) was used to describe the retention of genetic diversity of the southern muriqui. Although PHVA modeling provided a low risk of extinction of the southern muriqui, climate change and fragmentation could result in the loss of >65% of the suitable forest patches, and reduce the habitat suitability to only 11% of the potential distribution area, which could lead to future genetic diversity loss and decreased capacity of self-sustained populations. In both climate change scenarios, the suitable areas for the southern muriqui in Paraná and Rio de Janeiro states will decrease more drastically. Areas where the primate occurs in the interior of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro states will disappear or be climatically disconnected from the core potential habitat. Alike preventing further deforestation, Atlantic Forest restoration actions are needed to connect the viable populations for compensating the projected land use and climate change impacts to the long term persistence of the southern muriqui.

Relationship between forest integrity, drainage headboards and patch-level metrics as subsidy for planning and conservation in fragmented Atlantic Forest areas

Forests worldwide are essential goods for humanity as they provide support, provision, regulation, and cultural ecosystem services. In Brazil, the Atlantic Forest has lost much of its original cover, is currently represented by relatively small fragments in an anthropized matrix. Therefore, it is very relevant to analyze if forest fragments change in related the fragmentation of the original native vegetation and how they maintain their quality. This study aimed to analyze whether patch-level metrics are related to forest quality (biotic integrity) and whether relief features such as headboards are related to forest fragmentation patterns to provide subsidies for public planning and environmental conservation policies. The methodology involved mapping forest fragments (F) and drainage headboards (DH), calculating patch-level metrics (AREA, SHAPE, PROX), and the biotic integrity (BII) of the forest. Spearman's Correlation Coefficient was used to test the relationship between variables. The results showed a significative robust relationship between AREA and BII and significative medium relationship between SHAPE and DH, confirming partially the initial assumptions of the research. We concluded that the integrity of the forest fragment and the presence of drainage headboards must be considered in public planning and environmental conservation policies.

Tracking forest loss and fragmentation between 1930 and 2020 in Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) range in Nepal

Forest cover is the primary determinant of elephant distribution, thus, understanding forest loss and fragmentation is crucial for elephant conservation. We assessed deforestation and patterns of forest fragmentation between 1930 and 2020 in Chure Terai Madhesh Lanscape (CTML) which covers the entire elephant range in Nepal. Forest cover maps and fragmentation matrices were generated using multi-source data (Topographic maps and Landsat satellite images of 1930, 1975, 2000, and 2020) and spatiotemporal change was quantified. At present, 19,069 km2 forest cover in CTML is available as the elephant habitat in Nepal. Overall, 21.5% of elephant habitat was lost between 1930 and 2020, with a larger (12.3%) forest cover loss between 1930 and 1975. Area of the large forests (Core 3) has decreased by 43.08% whereas smaller patches (Core 2, Core 1, edge and patch forests) has increased multifold between 1930 and 2020. The continued habitat loss and fragmentation probably fragmented elephant populations during the last century and made them insular with long-term ramifications for elephant conservation and human-elephant conflict. Given the substantial loss in forest cover and high levels of fragmentation, improving the resilience of elephant populations in Nepal would urgently require habitat and corridor restoration to enable the movement of elephants.

Dynamics of deforestation and forest degradation hotspots applying geo-spatial techniques, apalchand forest in terai belt of himalayan foothills: Conservation priorities of forest ecosystem

The forest cover or broadly forest health is gradually deteriorated day by day due to unexpected population growth, agricultural expansion and infrastructural development mainly in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The Forest fragmentation rate as well as number of vulnerable forest hotspots is significantly intensified within Himalayan terai belt specifically in different pockets of Apalchand forest (India). This paper attempts to identify the vulnerable forest hotspots, fragmentation zone and forest canopy density. The relevant methods such as FCD model, spatial autocorrelation (Moran's I) and clustering (Getis-Ord Gi*statistics), forest fragmentation transformation matrix have been used to analyze the spatiotemporal changing patterns of forest fragmentation and canopy health of Apalchand forest. The result shows that the Z-score value is high in the year 1988 and comparatively low in the year 2020, so it has been observed that the forest condition in 2020 is more fragile in comparison with the year 1988. Meanwhile, the Getis-Ord Gi* statistics along with IDW method clearly illustrate the clustering of hot-spot and cold-spot regions with high level of significance (90%, 95% and 99%). Similarly, the areas of Patch and Perforated class have been considerably increased with respect to the years1988 and 2000. The hot spot zones are being enlarged in the south-eastern and middle parts of the Apalchand forest. The anthropogenic factors like expansion of tea gardens and agricultural land, infrastructural development, illegal timber trafficking are responsible for rapid fragmentation (Patch, Edge, Perforated areas) as well as reduction of canopy cover in different pockets of the study area. The alternative forest policy is highly required for the conservation of forest ecosystem as well as forest dwellers and forest fringe people.

Assessment of forest fragmentation in a traditional shifting agricultural landscape in Senapati District of Manipur, Northeast India

Forest fragmentation is associated with the deterioration of the ecosystem’s integrity, has negative impacts on biodiversity, degradation of forest, and spatial pattern of the landscape, and become a global conservative issue. Due to advancements in technology such as remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS), there is a wider possibility of studying, monitoring, and reporting of essential biodiversity variances. The aim of the present study is to assess and quantify the extend and pattern of forest fragmentation over the time series of 2013 and 2017 in the traditional landscape area of Senapati district of Manipur, Northeast India using multi-temporal Landsat data. The Landscape Fragmentation tool has been used to categorize the forest area into four categories: patch, edge, perforated, and core forest by assigning an edge width of 100 m. The result of the study shows that area covered by patch forest has increased by 5.54%, whereas the total core forest area has decreased by 318.5 km2. The change matrix analysis showed the conversion of one category of the forest to another with the overall maximum changes is associated with degradation in the forest area. With the identification of such change using RS technology and GIS data, we could suggest immediate measures for reclamation and restoration of degraded forest areas to regain its original ecosystem integrity in terms of carbon storage, soil retention, water conservation, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation.

Assessment of forest health status using a forest fragmentation approach: a study in Patharia Hills Reserve Forest, northeast India

Diverse anthropogenic pressure has led to land use change in the form of decline of vegetation and fragmented habitats. With rising anthropogenic threats, many species are restricted to fragmented and degraded habitats and declining biodiversity. The aim of the study was to understand the forest health status in Patharia Hills Reserve Forest (RF) using land use land cover (LULC) trajectories along with forest cover and fragmentation approach. Landsat TM and OLI images for three particular days of each of the year 1988, 1997 and 2016 were used to assess spatio-temporal variation in forest cover. Fragmentation model was used to examine the patterns of forest fragmentation in the Patharia Hills RF during the study period. The results indicated an overall increase in forest cover (10.52%) along with rise in human settlements and agriculture, while decrease in grasslands between 1988 and 2016. However, the fragmentation analysis revealed that the health of the RF has been deteriorating. Increasing edge effects with declining core areas were the prime indicators of disturbances on the forest. The eastern border of the RF is under tremendous influence of anthropogenic activities and most of the land use land cover change was observed in that side. Human settlements, agriculture, and developmental activities were main contributors to forest fragmentation at that side of the RF, while better protection at the international border area was the major factor to increase forested areas at the western part of the RF. Forest fragmentation has a large impact on biodiversity and increase risks for survival for many species, especially primate and the migratory elephant would suffer more in the study area. Fragmentation habitats would lead to increasing Human–Elephant Conflict (HEC). To control the habitat fragmentation, proper management strategies should be prepared which include afforestation in the perforated areas, reduce anthropogenic pressures, and demarcate the RF for its better protection.

Quantifying, comparing, and contrasting forest change pattern from shale gas infrastructure development in the British Columbia’s shale gas plays

ABSTRACTUnderstanding the interconnection between land use processes and land change patterns is yet to be fully achieved. Land change researchers have posited that the lack of understanding is not due to lack of effort but rather the difficulty in the task of seeking understanding, theoretically and practically. In this study, to understand forest change patterns from shale oil and gas (SOG) land use, we combine geospatial approach with metrics from landscape ecology to compare and contrast forest change from SOG infrastructure development in the four shale gas plays in British Columbia (BC). The study finds that cumulatively, between 1975 and 2017, the Cordova, Horn, Liard, and Montney shale gas plays have lost 0.30%, 0.25%, 0.14%, and 0.36% of forest cover, respectively, due to the construction of SOG well pads, access roads, and pipelines. Also, we find that the shale gas plays with the largest quantity of forest cover loss from SOG infrastructure construction have the highest amount of forest fragmentation and the vice versa. The results, however, suggest that differences in the intensity of forest cover change from shale gas land use is likely to create different ecologically significant forest fragmentation patterns. From a broader perspective, this study demonstrates how different levels of human-environment interactions yield different levels of anthropogenic land use impacts on the environment. The study provides land managers with a context for understanding the land use intensities and forest change pattern, which is relevant for sustainable land management in the shale gas plays in British Columbia.

Assessing changes in forest coverage and forest fragmentation patterns in Yunnan Province from time series MODIS-VCF products(2000-2016)

Assessing changes in forest coverage and forest fragmentation patterns in Yunnan Province from time series MODIS-VCF products(2000-2016)

Quantifying and predicting multi-decadal forest cover changes in Myanmar: a biodiversity hotspot under threat

The focus of the study was to develop a nation-wide forest cover database of Myanmar by assessing and predicting the forest cover changes in the period of 1950 to 2027. This study estimated the net changes in forests at regional level along with spatial patterns of forest fragmentation using multi-source data. The results indicate forest area representing as 77.1%, 65.3%, 54.1% and 50.6% of the total geographical area of Myanmar during 1950, 1975, 2005 and 2016 respectively. This study predicted the forest cover changes in Myanmar using Module for Land use change evaluation. The five spatial variables were used to determine the relationship between deforestation and explanatory variables. The predicted forest cover of Myanmar for 2027 shows 48.4% of total geographical area under forest. The model predicted a further decrease of 14,878 km2 of forest area in Myanmar between 2016 and 2027. The forest cover loss analysed using the classified maps of 1950 and 2016 indicated an overall loss of 34.4% of the forest cover. Ayeyarwady, Mandalay and Nayi Pyi Taw were found to be showing the highest rate of deforestation in the recent period of 2005–2016. This study has provided an insight for understanding of long-term deforestation trends of Myanmar. It offers a valuable inputs for effective management of forest resources and restoration programs as it delineates and forecast the spatial changes in forests from past to future.

Forest fragmentation and human population varies logarithmically along elevation gradient in Hindu Kush Himalaya - utility of geospatial tools and free data set

Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) is the largest and the most diverse mountain region in the world that provides ecosystem services to one fifth of the total world population. The forests are fragmented to different degrees due to expansion and intensification of human land use. However, the quantitative relationship between fragmentation and demography has not been established before for HKH vis-a-vis along elevation gradient. We used the globally available tree canopy cover data derived from Landsat-TM satellite to find out the decadal forest cover change over 2000 to 2010 and their corresponding fragmentation levels. Using SRTM-derived DEM, we observed high forest cover loss up to 2400 m that highly corroborated with the population distribution pattern as derived from satellite observation. In general, forest cover loss was found to be higher in south-eastern part of HKH. Forest fragmentation obtained using ‘area-weighted mean radius of gyration’ as indicator, was found to be very high up to 2400 m that also corroborated with high human population for the year 2000 and 2010. We observed logarithmic decrease in fragmentation change (area-weighted mean radius of gyration value), forest cover loss and population growth during 2000-2010 along the elevation gradient with very high R2 values (i.e., 0.889, 0.895, 0.944 respectively). Our finding on the pattern of forest fragmentation and human population across the elevation gradient in HKH region will have policy level implication for different nations and would help in characterizing hotspots of change. Availability of free satellite derived data products on forest cover and DEM, grid-data on demography, and utility of geospatial tools helped in quick evaluation of the forest fragmentation vis-a-vis human impact pattern along the elevation gradient in HKH.

Spatiotemporal changes and fragmentation of forest land in Jiangxi Province, China

Habitat loss and fragmentation resulting mainly from increased human impacts related to land use represent considerable threats to biodiversity. When regional ecological security is threatened, governments attempt to regulate unreasonable behavior via policies and laws. China has a dominant forestry industry, and the country is attempting to implement the dual goals of economic development and ecological security; therefore, the Chinese government has formulated a series of policies and regulations to balance these goals. This study presents the main forest policies in China and implements a logistic regression model to analyze the changes in forest land in the study area (Jiangxi Province) and the primary influencing factors for these changes under the forest policies from 1990 to 2010. Subsequently, a forest fragmentation model (non-traditional forest landscape pattern index) was built to analyze the forest fragmentation patterns and interference modes. The results indicated that the total forest land area increased by more than 40,000ha during the study period; however, the logistic model showed that a large amount of high-quality forest land was replaced by poor-quality forest land because forest land areas that present rich soil organic matter (SOM) content are more easily converted to other land types, whereas areas with poor SOM are more easily converted to forest land. Between 1990 and 2010, forest fragmentation improved because the proportion of interior forests increased and the proportions of patch and perforated forests decreased. The paper concludes by proposing some policy recommendations for the conservation of biodiversity.

Babesiosis Surveillance - Wisconsin, 2001-2015.

Babesiosis is an emerging zoonotic disease caused primarily by Babesia microti, an intraerythocytic protozoan. Babesia microti, like the causal agents for Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, is endemic to the northeastern and upper midwestern United States where it is usually transmitted by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis. Although babesiosis is usually a mild to moderate illness, older or immunocompromised persons can develop a serious malaria-like illness that can be fatal without prompt treatment. The most common initial clinical signs and symptoms of babesiosis (fever, fatigue, chills, and diaphoresis) are nonspecific and present diagnostic challenges that can contribute to delays in diagnosis and effective treatment with atovaquone and azithromycin (1). Results of one study revealed a mean delay of 12-14 days from symptom onset to treatment (2). Knowledge of the incidence and geographic distribution of babesiosis can raise the index of clinical suspicion and facilitate more prompt diagnosis and lifesaving treatment (1). The first known case of babesiosis in Wisconsin was detected in 1985 (3), and babesiosis became officially reportable in the state in 2001. Wisconsin babesiosis surveillance data for 2001-2015 were analyzed in 3-year intervals to compare demographic, epidemiologic, and laboratory features among patients with cases of reported babesiosis. To determine possible reasons for an increase in reported Babesia infection, trends in electronic laboratory reporting and diagnosis by polymerase chain reaction testing (PCR) were examined. Between the first and last 3-year analysis intervals, there was a 26-fold increase in the incidence of confirmed babesiosis, in addition to geographic expansion. These trends might be generalizable to other states with endemic disease, similar suburbanization and forest fragmentation patterns, and warming average temperatures (4). Accurate surveillance in states where babesiosis is endemic is necessary to estimate the increasing burden of babesiosis and other tickborne diseases and to develop appropriate public health interventions for prevention and practice.

Forest fragmentation in Massachusetts, USA: a town-level assessment using Morphological spatial pattern analysis and affinity propagation

Forest fragmentation has been studied extensively with respect to biodiversity loss, disruption of ecosystem services, and edge effects although the relationship between forest fragmentation and human activities is still not well understood. We classified the pattern of forests in Massachusetts using fragmentation indicators to address these objectives: 1) characterize the spatial pattern of forest fragmentation in Massachusetts towns using Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA); and (2) identify regional trends using archetypal towns in relation to town history, geography and socioeconomic characteristics. Six fragmentation indicators were calculated using MSPA for each town to represent patterns and processes of fragmentation. We then used these indicators and the proportion of forested land to group towns across Massachusetts with similar patterns of fragmentation. Six representative towns typify different types of forest fragmentation, and illustrate the commonalities and differences between different fragmentation types. The objective selection of representative towns suggests that they might be used as the target of future studies, both in retrospective studies that seek to explain current patterns and in analyses that predict future fragmentation trends.

Understanding ecological transitions under recurrent wildfire: A case study in the seasonally dry tropical forests of the Chiquitania, Bolivia

Wildfires in tropical forests are likely to become a more dominant disturbance due to future increasing feedbacks between rapid frontier expansion and more frequent droughts. This study evaluates the effects of fire recurrence on seasonally dry tropical forests of the Chiquitania region, located in the southern rim of Amazonia, eastern lowlands of Bolivia. Effects were assessed in terms of changes in biomass, forest structure, species diversity and composition. Forest plots were established in well-conserved study sites to compare unburnt forests with forests burned once, twice and three times in the period 2000–2012. Inventories were collected for trees, palms and lianas, including identification of species and measurement of morphological traits related to fire tolerance. Biomass was estimated using different allometric equations, and species composition, richness, abundance and dominance were compared. We found a significant loss in biomass, and putative effects on small and large trees after recurrent burns. The observed patterns in this study suggest that Chiquitano forests respond to recurrent fires through a shift in tree species composition with already-present fire-tolerant species becoming more dominant. This transition presented losses in biomass but increases in species richness. Insights into a possible transition to a more fire-adapted state is of great relevance for forest and fire management strategies in the region, as this transition may become irreversible in a future regime of more frequent wildfires, expected due to drier climatic conditions with increasing patterns of forest fragmentation and spreading use of fire into new forest frontiers.

Explaining the fragmentation in the Brazilian Amazonian forest

Although vast literature exists on the drivers of tropical deforestation and its ecological consequences, less is known about how patterns of forest fragmentation emerge in the first place. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue for the Brazilian portion of the Amazon basin by analyzing the social processes generative of five specific patterns, including rectangular, fishbone, radial, dendritic, and what we refer to as ‘the stem of the rose.’ We argue that forest fragmentation patterns in the Brazilian Amazon are largely determined by the types and arrival times of the agents who engage in land clearing. We also argue that the patterns manifest in the landscape by virtue of road construction and agricultural property formation, which often occur in tandem. We conclude by placing our discussion within legal and institutional contexts, and observe that fragmentation stemming from formal colonization projects is more consistent with biodiversity conservation than that associated with a laissez-faire occupation. However, erosive impacts may be greater in topographically sensitive areas.

Land‐use drivers of forest fragmentation vary with spatial scale

AbstractAimImproving our understanding of the drivers of forest fragmentation is fundamental to mitigating the consequences of anthropogenic fragmentation for biodiversity. Moreover, the impacts of fragmentation on biodiversity depend on the spatial scale at which fragmentation occurs. Therefore, understanding how the effect of land use on fragmentation patterns varies across scales is critical to ensure that fragmentation is managed at scales relevant to the ecology of target species or to land management. Here, we quantified the influence of land use on patterns of forest fragmentation at different scales using Queensland, Australia, as a case study.LocationNorth‐eastern Australia.MethodsWe combined fractal analysis with piecewise linear regression to measure patterns of forest fragmentation across a range of scales in 5309 landscapes of c. 50 km2, with different proportions of land used for cropping and grazing. A significant change in fragmentation patterns occurred at approximately 1 km2. We used beta regression to quantify the impact of land use on the degree of fragmentation at scales finer and coarser than 1 km2.ResultsThe use of land for grazing tended to create more fragmented forest patterns than use of land for cropping. This difference was more pronounced at coarser than finer scales.Main conclusionsOur finding suggests that the choice of land use where conservation actions, such as revegetation and retention of forest patches, are to be prioritized depends on the scale at which we measure fragmentation. This information contributes to reducing the risk of mismatches between the scale at which fragmentation is managed and the scale at which fragmentation is measured, which is often dictated by the scale of species movements or the scale of land management. Our finding also improves our capacity to discern between fragmentation patterns that are typical of land‐sharing and land‐sparing conservation strategies, as spatial scale varies, thus aiding the implementation of land sparing and land sharing at scales relevant to biodiversity conservation and land management.

Deforestation and fragmentation of seasonal tropical forests in the southern Yucatán, Mexico (1990–2006)

The southern Yucatán (SY) has been recognized as a hotspot of biodiversity with great risk of deforestation. Land change analysis, based on classified Landsat TM and ETM + satellite imagery (1990, 2000 and 2006), was used to estimate the annual deforestation rates of 141 land management units of the SY, and spatial patterns of forest fragmentation around and within the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (CBR), which comprises approximately one-third of the region. Results indicate a decrease in annual deforestation rates over 1990–2006, from 0.15% year−1 to 0.06% year−1, but with significant sub-regional variations in the quantity and rate of forest loss. Despite a decline in deforestation during this period, there was considerable fragmentation both inside and outside the CBR. While population pressures and the expansion of pasture have caused deforestation across the region, agricultural intensification, diversified income strategies and reserve conservation may have contributed to reduced forest loss during the study period.

Fragmentation patterns and systematic transitions of the forested landscape in the upper Amazon region, Ecuador 1990–2008

The analysis of the systematic transitions in the forested landscape and the study of the forest fragmentation patterns allow us to deepen our understanding of the changes in the vegetation ground cover. The importance of knowing the intricate patterns of the land usage of the upper basin of the Amazon region is widely recognized. This zone is one of the most diverse biological areas in the world, is home to large areas of mature tropical cloud forest and demonstrates high probabilities of stable climatic conditions in light of global warming. The research quantified systematic transitions through the “loss” and “gain” of the different categories of landscape during the eighteen-year study period of the Ecuadorian Amazon Region (EAR), the forest fragmentation patterns were also analyzed based on a set of indicators. Therefore, with respect to the entirety of the landscape, the results registered for the ground coverage in forested areas during the first period (1990–2000), show a decrease of 6.99% and an increase of 0.68%; and during the second period (2000–2008), show a decrease of 3.99% and an increase of 2.14%. It demonstrated that forest and agricultural areas tended to replace or be replaced by herbaceous vegetation faster than expected fortuitously. Finally, the indices of fragmentation signaled intense changes during the 1990–2000 period with a reduction during the period 2000–2008. Percentages registered in the Largest Patch Index (LPI) were between 79.58%; 52.39% and 49.99% respectively; while the Patch Density (PD) varied between 0.04; 0.06 and 0.07. This suggests the propensity of forest cover to remain intact. The results of this investigation suggest a tendency towards stability in Ecuador’s Amazon landscape. Within the framework for development and management of this area, the tendency is natural regeneration. This permits a consolidation of the conservation, reforestation, forestation and agricultural forestry plans, programs and systems for the protected areas in EAR.

Spontaneous Colonization and Forest Fragmentation in the Central Amazon Basin

This article addresses the emergence of road networks and forest fragmentation in Central Amazônia, which has been impacted by both spontaneous and planned settlement. The first objective of the article is to broaden the discussion of fragmentation by addressing social processes that generate it through the construction of roads. Roads impact land cover change worldwide, and their role in Amazonian deforestation is known. The article also seeks to extend the literature on roads to address the social processes and individual behaviors that create the road network architecture. The second objective is to open a discussion about the biodiversity implications of different patterns of forest fragmentation. Our specific focus is the geometry of settlement associated with urban nodes, referred to here as radial fragmentation. The article pursues its objectives by implementing a conceptual framework that extends the pattern-to-process paradigm of landscape ecology by adding a (social) process-to-pattern component. This is accomplished through a mixed-method approach including (1) field-based narratives of the social processes that gave rise to radial fragmentation in the hinterland of the town of Itaituba, an important settlement in the middle Tapajós valley; (2) remote sensing of the evolution of road networks, which we then link to deforestation in a temporal analysis of emergent fragmentation patterns; and (3) computational applications to compare the biodiversity implications of radial and fishbone landscape fragmentation.