By understanding fragmentation as a process that unfolds over time, the researchers believe scientists can reduce confusion, improve evidence for conservation decisions, and develop more effective strategies to protect biodiversity.
Recent research has tried to answer this question by looking at snapshots of landscapes as they are today, focusing on how patchy or broken up habitats appear on maps. But a new paper published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution argues that this approach misses a crucial point: fragmentation is not just what landscapes look like now, but how they have changed over time.
Researchers from Forest Research, the University of Cambridge, the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, the University of Birmingham and Wake Forest University say that by treating fragmentation as a fixed pattern rather than a dynamic process, scientists may be misunderstanding its true effects on biodiversity.