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Fragmentation increased in over half of global forests from 2000 to 2020
Yibiao Zou1, Thomas W Crowther1,2, Gabriel Reuben Smith1
1Institute of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), Zurich, Switzerland.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|September 11, 2025
Summary
Global forest fragmentation is increasing rapidly, nearly doubling previous estimates. This habitat fragmentation threatens biodiversity, but protected areas show significant reductions in fragmentation.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Conservation Biology
- Environmental Science
Background:
- Habitat fragmentation, the division of continuous forests into isolated patches, poses a significant threat to biodiversity.
- Previous global assessments underestimated fragmentation rates due to reliance on structure-based metrics that ignore ecological connectivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze global forest fragmentation trends from 2000 to 2020 using a comprehensive suite of metrics.
- To compare fragmentation rates derived from connectivity-focused versus structure-focused approaches.
Main Methods:
- Utilized complementary metrics assessing patch connectivity, aggregation, and structure for global forest analysis.
- Compared connectivity-based fragmentation data with traditional structure-focused methods.
Main Results:
- Connectivity metrics revealed 51-67% of global forests and 58-80% of tropical forests experienced increased fragmentation.
- Fragmentation rates using connectivity metrics were nearly double those from structure-focused methods (30-35%).
- Aggregation metrics indicated increased fragmentation in 57-83% of forests, driven by agriculture and logging.
Conclusions:
- Global forest fragmentation is more severe than previously estimated, with significant implications for biodiversity.
- Targeted conservation efforts, exemplified by protected tropical areas showing up to 82% fragmentation reduction, are effective.
- Human activities are the primary drivers, necessitating strategic conservation planning.
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