Landscape fragmentation and the agro-forest ecosystem along a rural-to-urban gradient: an exploratory study

Abstract

a Consiglio per la Ricerca e la sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Centro per le studio delle Relazioni Pianta-Suolo (CRA-RPS), via della Navicella 2-4, a Consiglio per la Ricerca e la sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Centro per le studio delle Relazioni Pianta-Suolo (CRA-RPS), via della Navicella 2-4,The present study investigates the transformations in the agro-forest landscape of Attica (Greece) along an urban-to-rural gradient over 20 years using landscape metrics and land-use indicators. This region experienced increasing human pressure reflected in the dispersed urban expansion stimulated by the 2004 Olympic Games. Based on the spatial distribution of nine land-use classes in 1987 and 2007 derived from comparable digital maps, a multi-temporal analysis was developed to assess 'fast' and 'slow' variables characterizing landscape changes in the area. Urban areas, bare land, and burnt areas expanded rapidly, fragmenting the agro-forest landscape. A principal components analysis carried out on selected landscape metrics in both 1987 and 2007 indicated that forests and cropland are moving toward patchiness and a higher fractal configuration. The multivariate approach applied to landscape metrics revealed how land fragmentation was dependent on both urban expansion and processes typically observed in rural areas, such as crop intensification, forest fires and clear-cutting, land abandonment, and shrubland expansion. These findings were confirmed by a local-level analysis of land-use changes carried out on the fringe of Athens. By linking structural and compositional features of landscape, the approach developed in this study may inform policies promoting sustainable urban forms and protecting high-quality, relict agro-forest landscapes in peri-urban areas.

Quantifying the influences of various ecological factors on land surface temperature of urban forests

“…Urban forests are the main source of natural productivity in urban areas (Salvati et al, 2014;Cetin, 2015). The cooling effect (cold island effect) caused by dense shade from branches and leaves limits direct radiant heat from the sun and reflected heat from pavement, walls, and adjacent objects; water transpiration through leaves further consumes radiant heat.…”

Land cover changes and forest landscape evolution (1985–2009) in a typical Mediterranean agroforestry system (high Agri Valley)

“…In particular, information obtained from landscape metrics can be very valuable for the improvement of silvicultural prescriptions and baselines for forest management, as well as to highlight effects of implemented actions (Sano et al, 2009;Reddy et al, 2013;Costa et al, 2014;Paliwal and Mathur, 2014).…”

“…), and heterogeneous forests where a variety of vegetation types are aggregated according to diverse extents, shapes, and connectivity levels (Lafortezza et al, 2010). In addition, in the last decades the traditional composition and arrangement of Mediterranean landscapes have been significantly changed by urbanization, industrialization, logging, agricultural policies (e.g., European Common Agricultural Policy), and climate change effects (Grove and Rackham, 2001;Tanrivermis, 2003;Weber et al, 2005;FAO, 2014;Salvati et al, 2014).…”

Spatial distribution of urban greenspace in response to urban development from a multi-scale perspective

“…These studies can capture where the fine-scale changes of UG occur, but typically do not further explore the spatiotemporal patterns of UG in response to urban development. Additionally, many studies have used landscape metrics along urban-rural gradients to investigate the spatiotemporal pattern of vegetation during urbanization (Kong and Nakagoshi 2006, Zhou et al 2011, Salvati et al 2014. These studies, however, mostly focused on a single scale.…”