Forest fragmentation and the conservation of biological diversity

Abstract

Definitions and clarifications of terms and concepts relevant to the effects of habitat fragmentation on biological diversity are presented. Habitat fragmentation differs from habitat patchiness, and it is illustrated how forest fragmentation is distinguished from a series of forest fragments and a single tract of insular forest. Five types of fragmentation are illustrated, and land use in and around the Ocala National Forest illustrates how these are relevant to management decisions. The full impacts of fragmentation cannot be appreciated unless the concept of wildlife is distinguished from that of native fauna because faunal relaxation and faunal collapse are measurable only against the backdrop of native biota. Faunal collapse occurs when sufficient levels of disturbance cause fundamentally different intensities of ecological processes to prevail. Habitat fragmentation effects cannot be gauged independent of the scale of evaluation, and again, the case of the Ocala National Forest is used to illustrate the issues.