Understanding the Importance of Dynamic Landscape Connectivity

Katherine A. Zeller, Rebecca Lewison, Robert J. Fletcher, Mirela G. Tulbure and Megan K. Jennings
Additional contact information
Katherine A. Zeller: Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Rocky Mountain Research Station, United States Forest Service, 790 East Beckwith Ave, Missoula, MT 59801, USA
Rebecca Lewison: Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA
Robert J. Fletcher: Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
Mirela G. Tulbure: Center for Geospatial Analytics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Megan K. Jennings: Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182, USA

Land, 2020, vol. 9, issue 9, 1-15

Abstract: Landscape connectivity is increasingly promoted as a conservation tool to combat the negative effects of habitat loss, fragmentation, and climate change. Given its importance as a key conservation strategy, connectivity science is a rapidly growing discipline. However, most landscape connectivity models consider connectivity for only a single snapshot in time, despite the widespread recognition that landscapes and ecological processes are dynamic. In this paper, we discuss the emergence of dynamic connectivity and the importance of including dynamism in connectivity models and assessments. We outline dynamic processes for both structural and functional connectivity at multiple spatiotemporal scales and provide examples of modeling approaches at each of these scales. We highlight the unique challenges that accompany the adoption of dynamic connectivity for conservation management and planning in the context of traditional conservation prioritization approaches. With the increased availability of time series and species movement data, computational capacity, and an expanding number of empirical examples in the literature, incorporating dynamic processes into connectivity models is more feasible than ever. Here, we articulate how dynamism is an intrinsic component of connectivity and integral to the future of connectivity science.

Keywords: functional connectivity; structural connectivity; dynamic connectivity; corridor; wildlife conservation; biodiversity conservation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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