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Landscape fragmentation in FUAs in 2018 in the EU-27 and the UK region, by country and FUA structure

Figure Created 03 Mar 2022 Published 05 May 2022 Last modified 01 Apr 2022
1 min read
Fragmentation is measured as the density of continuous, i.e. unfragmented, semi-natural landscape elements (i.e. meshes). This is calculated by dividing the number of meshes with a unit area, e.g. 1 or 1 000 km². If the landscape is not fragmented, i.e. it consists of a completely continuous landscape, the mesh density is 1. If the number of natural and semi-natural landscape elements in a unit area increases, the landscape becomes more fragmented and the mesh density increases.

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information.png Methodology:

The Effective Mesh Density (seff) is a measure of the degree to which movement between different parts of the landscape is interrupted by a Fragmentation Geometry (FG). FGs are defined as the presence of impervious surfaces and traffic infrastructure, including medium sized roads. The more FGs fragment the landscape, the higher the effective mesh density hence the higher the fragmentation. The geographic coverage of the dataset is EEA-39.

information.png Units:

Number of landscape elements/km2

information.png Rights:
EEA standard re-use policy: unless otherwise indicated, re-use of content on the EEA website for commercial or non-commercial purposes is permitted free of charge, provided that the source is acknowledged (https://www.eea.europa.eu/legal/copyright). Copyright holder: European Environment Agency (EEA).
information.png Owners:
European Environment Agency (EEA)
information.png Figure type:
Map

Additional information

Effective mesh density (number of landscape elements/km2)

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Based on data

Data Landscape fragmentation Effective Mesh Density time-series: major and medium anthropogenic fragmenting elements (FGA2-S) The datasets below correspond to a new version of the Effective Mesh Density (seff) 2016 dataset with improved input data, for the years 2009, 2012 and 2015. This time-series uses the Copernicus Imperviousness and the TomTom TeleAtlas datasets as fragmenting geometries. The Effective Mesh Density (seff) is a measure of the degree to which movement between different parts of the landscape is interrupted by a Fragmentation Geometry (FG). FGs are defined as the presence of impervious surfaces and traffic infrastructure, including medium sized roads. The more FGs fragment the landscape, the higher the effective mesh density hence the higher the fragmentation. An important consequence of landscape fragmentation is the increased isolation of ecosystem patches that breaks the structural connections and decreases resilience and ability of habitats to provide various ecosystem services. Fragmentation also influences human communities, agriculture, recreation and overall quality of life. Monitoring how fragmentation decreases landscape quality and changes the visual perception of landscapes provides information for policy measures that aim at improving ecosystem condition and restoration as well as maintaining the attractiveness of landscapes for recreational activities. The geographic coverage of the datasets is EEA39.

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For references, please go to https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/figures/fragmentation-in-2018-in-fuas or scan the QR code.

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