Indices for the spatial assessment of road and traffic impacts on ecosystems.

The increase in roads and traffic through the last century has caused extensive fragmentation of the landscape affecting biodiversity and ecosystem function. Subsequent changes to the natural heterogeneity of landscapes have impaired movement and persistence of populations for many species and altered ecosystem structure and processes. Science lacks a full understanding of the effects of road disturbance on ecosystem health because methods for assessing the immediate and lasting influences they have on biodiversity and ecological processes are in early stages of development. Recently, two indices have been developed for the assessment of road and traffic impacts on ecosystems. First, a spatial road disturbance index (SPROADI) was developed and applied to the Federal State of Brandenburg in north-eastern Germany as a case study. The index is calculated from three sub-indices: (1) traffic intensity as a measure of traffic volume per time and space; (2) vicinity impact, which is the assessment of edge effect of roads on adjacent habitats (the road-effect zone); and (3) fragmentation grade, which provides an indication of the degree to which the landscape is intersected by roads. Second, SPROADI was integrated into a novel, ecosystem-specific index designed for assessing the functionality of forests. Again, three sub-indices are devised: (1) tree-related forest structure; (2) connectivity and size of functional forest patches; and (2) non-forest matrix characteristics (including SPROADI). When applied to land cover data for Brandenburg the integrated index clearly identified forest patches of potentially high conservation value. It also provided a more sophisticated picture of the relationship between forest functional status and disturbance by roads. An important message to forest managers refers to areas under low road and traffic impact that were assessed as of low functionality. These may have a particularly high potential to be developed into highly valuable forests. As a central message to traffic infrastructure planners, the index indicates the existence of, sometimes relatively large, forest areas of high ecosystem functionality that have not yet been dissected by roads. Road construction through these valuable areas should be avoided or at least be reduced to the minimum extent possible. These novel methods thus have important implications for proactive planning and sustainable management of landscapes.

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Kreft S. Freudenberger L. Sauermann J. Hoffmann M. Pe’er G. Hobson P. Selva N. y Ibisch P.L. Indices for the spatial assessment of road and traffic impacts on ecosystems. Infrastructure & Ecology Network Europe, 2014.

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Resource type Text
Date of creation 2024-12-02
Date of last revision 2024-12-02
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Metadata identifier 7fdb4608-b5b6-515f-8a3b-ed9e9f3541eb
Metadata language Spanish
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ISO 19115 topic category biota
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Name of the dataset creator Kreft, S., Freudenberger, L., Sauermann, J., Hoffmann, M., Pe’er, G., Hobson, P., Selva, N. y Ibisch, P.L.
Name of the dataset editor Infrastructure & Ecology Network Europe
Other identifier ISBN: 978-91-637-7327-3
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