Identification and Measurement of Anthropogenic Effects in Landscapes

As a consequence of anthropogenic pressure, landscapes change; deforestation is a
well-known example of this type of human-driven landscape change. Landscapes change
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from entirely natural to anthropogenic or cultural, in which landscape composition is marked
by land covers and uses directly related to the civil society, such as degraded vegetations,
agriculture, urban zones, or road networks. Landscape dynamics can be quantified by
landscape pattern analysis. Many landscape metrics are available to capture the different
features of pattern change. As a consequence of the pattern/process paradigm, the ecological
consequences of the observed dynamics can be linked to ecosystem processes and
characteristics, such as biodiversity. By means of a series of case studies linking field
observations of fauna and flora with cartographic and demographic data, the importance of
pattern analysis and landscape management is underlined, as well as the diversity in types of
anthropogenic landscape change. Conclusions are drawn with regard to the ecological impact
of landscape change. Guidelines are formulated for the characterization and analysis of
anthropogenic effects in landscapes by means of pattern analysis.