Landscape fragmentation in the European context: outcomes from a comparative approach

In Europe, some policies have focused on landscape and environment quality. Landscape fragmentation (LF) can be considered as one of the main causes that negatively affect landscape quality, because it triggers habitat loss processes, decline of fauna and flora species, and loss of connectivity. Transport and mobility infrastructures (TMIs) and urban settlement have been acknowledged as key factors in increasing LF processes. Scientific literature describes several metrics able to quantify LF, but methods useful to quantify LF caused by TMIs are poorly described. In this study, we measure LF in four landscape units (LUs) - two LUs in Wales (the UK) and two in Sardinia (Italy) - to identify areas where defragmentation measures could contribute in reconnecting isolated patches, allowing wildlife movement. We use the Barrier Fragmentation Index (BFI) to quantify the LF due to TMIs and the Urban Fragmentation Index (UFI) for the one due to urbanized areas. The BFI can measure LF taking into account how specific target species perceive TMIs. We choose the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) as target species, a quite common species in both the countries. Finally, we apply two additional metrics, namely the effective mesh size (meff) and the connectivity of natural areas (CIx) and verify the correlation between the four metrics. Preliminary results show (i) high values of BFI and UFI in Wales and low values of both indices in Sardinia, and (ii) likely correlation between BFI, UFI and meff. Overall, the coastal areas appear as the most fragmented, and measures may be planned to reconnect patches and allow the target species’ movement. Furthermore, soil loss in rural and agrarian areas could be avoided by using urban eco-friendly planning measures.