Habitat loss and degradation that comes as a result of human activity is the single biggest threat to biodiversity in the world today. Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change is a groundbreaking work that brings together a wealth of information from a wide range of sources to define the ecological problems caused by landscape change and to highlight the relationships among landscape change, habitat fragmentation, and biodiversity conservation. The book: synthesizes a large body of information from the scientific literature - considers key theoretical principles for examining and predicting effects - examines the range of effects that can arise - explores ways of mitigating impacts - reviews approaches to studying the problem - discusses knowledge gaps and future areas for research and management Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change offers a unique mix of theoretical and practical information, outlining general principles and approaches and illustrating those principles with case studies from around the world. It represents a definitive overview and synthesis on the full range of topics that fall under the widely used but often vaguely defined term "habitat fragmentation." "This new book by Lindenmayer and Fischer provides a holistic clarity that is sorely needed and is a must-read for conservation biologists, landscape ecologists, and other serious students interested in what happens to (mostly wildlife) species in the face of landscape change." ― Ecological Restoration "This book is definitely one that most natural resource managers should read and have available as a reference." ― Natural Areas Journal David B. Lindenmayer is a research professor and Joern Fischer is postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies at the Australian National University in Canberra. Habitat Fragmentation and Landscape Change An Ecological and Conservation Synthesis By David B. Lindenmayer, Joern Fischer ISLAND PRESS Copyright © 2006 David B. Lindenmayer and Joern Fischer All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-59726-021-3 Contents About Island Press, Title Page, Copyright Page, Dedication, Acknowledgments, Preface, CHAPTER 1 - Introduction, PART I - Landscape Change: An Overview, CHAPTER 2 - How Landscapes Change, CHAPTER 3 - How Landscape Change Affects Organisms: A Conceptual Framework, PART II - The Species Perspective: Key Processes Affecting Individual Species, CHAPTER 4 - Habitat Loss, CHAPTER 5 - Habitat Degradation, CHAPTER 6 - Habitat Subdivision and Habitat Isolation, CHAPTER 7 - Changes in the Behavior, Biology, and Interactions of Species, CHAPTER 8 - Synthesis: Threatening Processes for Species in Modified Landscapes, PART III - The Human Perspective: Landscape Patterns and Species Assemblages, CHAPTER 9 - Land Cover Change and Patch Sizes, CHAPTER 10 - Deterioration of Vegetation and the Physical Environment, CHAPTER 11 - Edge Effects, Types of Edges and Edge Effects, Variation in Edge Effects, Edge Sensitivity and Extinction Proneness, Caveats, Summary, Links to Other Chapters, Further Reading, CHAPTER 12 - Landscape Connectivity, CHAPTER 13 - Nestedness and Community Assembly, CHAPTER 14 - The Matrix and Landscape Heterogeneity, CHAPTER 15 - Synthesis: Cascading Effects of Landscape Change, PART IV - Studying Species and Assemblages in Modified Landscapes, CHAPTER 16 - Field-Based Approaches to Studying Species and Assemblages in Modified Landscapes, CHAPTER 17 - Desktop Approaches to Studying Species and Assemblages in Modified Landscapes, PART V - Mitigating the Negative Effects of Landscape Change on Species and Assemblages, CHAPTER 18 - Managing Landscape Pattern to Mitigate the Decline of Species and Assemblages, CHAPTER 19 - Managing Individual Species and Ecological Processes to Mitigate the Decline of Species and Assemblages, CHAPTER 20 - Guiding Principles for Mitigating the Decline of Species and Assemblages of Species, PART VI - Synthesis, CHAPTER 21 - Synthesis, Conclusions, and Priorities for the Future, About the Authors, References, Index, Island Press Board of Directors, CHAPTER 1 Introduction Why This Book Was Written This book was written for two main reasons. First, themes associated with landscape change have become a major focus of conservation biology and landscape ecology (McGarigal and Cushman 2002; Fahrig 2003; Hobbs and Yates 2003). A review of all papers published in 2001 in the journals Conservation Biology, Biological Conservation, and Biodiversity and Conservation found that landscape change and habitat fragmentation were the two most frequently studied processes threatening species persistence (Fazey et al. 2005a). Similarly, a database search of journal articles prior to writing this book produced over 2000 published papers where the abstract or keywords contained the words "habitat loss" or "habitat fragmentation." Because the literature on landscape cha