Increasing connectivity in fragmented landscapes: An investigation of evidence for biodiversity gain in woodlands |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Geography, The Jockey Club Tower, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong;2. South China Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Environmental Protection, 7th West Street, Yuancun, Guangzhou 510655, PR China;1. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Road, Edgewater, MD 21307-0028, United States;2. Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX11 1DT, UK;3. Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia;4. Earthwatch Institute, Oxford, UK;5. Department of Plant Sciences, South Parks Road, Oxford, UK;6. Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK;7. Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK;1. Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, 46 Vanemuise Street, Tartu 51014, Estonia;2. Tartu College, Tallinn University of Technology, 78 Puiestee Street, Tartu 51008, Estonia;1. Northwest German Forest Research Station, Department A (Forest Growth), Section Forest Conservation and Natural Forest Research, Grätzelstraße 2, D-37079 Göttingen, Germany;2. Georg-August University Göttingen, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, Department Vegetation and Phytodiversity Analysis, Untere Karspüle 2, D-37073 Göttingen, Germany;3. DBU Natural Heritage, German Federal Foundation for the Environment, An der Bornau 2, D-49090 Osnabrück, Germany;1. The James Hutton Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, United Kingdom;2. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, United Kingdom;3. Forest Research, Northern Research Station, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9SY, United Kingdom;4. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row, Edinburgh EH3 5LR, United Kingdom;5. Forest Research, Alice Holt Lodge, Farnham, Surrey GU10 4LH, United Kingdom;6. Bryophyte Consultant, Cuillin Views, 15 Earlish, Portree, Isle of Skye IV51 9XL, United Kingdom;7. Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, United Kingdom;8. University of Aberdeen, Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Cruickshank Building, St. Machar Drive, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, United Kingdom |
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| Abstract: | Increasing connectivity is frequently proposed as an effective strategy to address biodiversity decline within fragmented habitats. Woodland habitats in Great Britain have been significantly reduced in area and are described as having ‘fragmented’ distribution. Many researchers have associated declines in woodland species with fragmentation. Currently, there is a concerted effort to increase connectivity (through increasing the number of physical links) between woodlands, often through the development of habitat networks, with the aim of increasing biodiversity. This aim is driven through rising interest in the role of landscape scale processes in biodiversity conservation and increasing concern of the fate of populations facing a predicted increase in habitat isolation through climate change.In this paper, the evidence behind the assumption that increasing connectivity will increase biodiversity is reviewed, together with the assumptions made during development of models that identify potential networks within which connectivity is to be increased. Gaps identified within the evidence base lead to the suggestion of new research areas that will provide a firm basis from which more informed evaluation of increasing connectivity for biodiversity gain can be developed. Alternative approaches to enhancing woodland biodiversity in fragmented landscapes are proposed. |
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