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Designing optimal human-modified landscapes for forest biodiversity conservation.
Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez1, Lenore Fahrig2, Marcelo Tabarelli3
1Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, 58190, Mexico.
Ecology Letters
|June 16, 2020
Summary
Designing biodiversity-friendly landscapes requires balancing human needs with wildlife preservation. Optimal scenarios suggest 40% forest cover, with a large patch and dispersed smaller ones within a quality matrix, benefiting forest species.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Landscape Ecology
Background:
- Forest ecosystems are increasingly transformed into human-modified landscapes due to agriculture and development.
- Existing ecological concepts for managing these landscapes are often contradictory and operate at various spatial scales.
- This complexity challenges the design of effective biodiversity-friendly landscapes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize ecological concepts and empirical data to design optimal landscape scenarios for forest-dwelling species.
- To provide practical guidance for forest preservation and restoration strategies.
- To balance human needs for ecosystem services with the preservation of forest wildlife.
Main Methods:
- Integration of established ecological concepts with supporting empirical evidence.
- Development of landscape scenario models based on synthesized knowledge.
- Analysis of optimal forest cover percentages and spatial configurations.
Main Results:
- Optimal landscapes should contain at least 40% forest cover, with higher percentages recommended for tropical regions.
- Forest cover configuration involves approximately 10% in a large, contiguous patch and 30% distributed among smaller patches and semi-natural elements like corridors.
- These patches must be situated within a high-quality surrounding matrix.
Conclusions:
- The proposed landscape scenarios offer a compromise between ecosystem services for humans and wildlife preservation.
- These scenarios can effectively guide forest preservation and restoration efforts.
- Implementing these strategies supports the maintenance of forest biodiversity in human-modified landscapes.
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