![]() For forest dwelling birds, these edge effects include nest and adult predation by edge-inhabiting species such as raccoon, striped skunk, red fox, American Crow, and Blue Jay, which usually are not found in extensive forests with a high proportion of interior conditions. These core areas, which for sensitive interior species may be many times the size of their home ranges, insulate species from edge effects that adversely affect their ability to survive and reproduce. These financial benefits are further increased when considering the recreational opportunities natural lands provide and the tourism revenues they generate.Ĭertain species require cover deep within the interior of continuous habitat that is far away from natural or human-induced edges. 1997) and that they can result in a return on investment in excess of 100 to 1 when natural lands are conserved (Balmford et al. ![]() Studies have estimated that these services contribute as much or more to the global economy as do marketplace processes (Costanza et al. Ecosystem services often are overlooked as landscapes are developed largely because traditional economic analyses that incorporate the financial benefits of development usually do not include the financial benefits of ecosystem services. Large patches also are important for their ecosystem services, including filtering nutrients and pollutants from water, preventing erosion, retaining soil, providing pollinators for crops, removing carbon from the air and sequestering it in woody biomass, slowing a and absorbing runoff so groundwater is recharged, absorbing solar energy and keeping local areas cooler, and providing protection from storm and flood damage. Thus they tend to have higher numbers of species than small patches. Large patches tend to have greater variety of habitats and more protection from disturbance from adjacent areas. In general, biodiversity approximately doubles with every tenfold increase in habitat area. ![]() One of these fundamental benefits pertains to the species-area relationship in which the richness of species increases progressively with habitat size. Such large patches have greater benefits than the same total area of natural vegetation when distributed among smaller patches. Such has been the case in Virginia in recent decades and the consequences include not only lost habitat and natural corridors but also the degradation of important ecosystem services that keep our air and water clean, assist in climate regulation, and reduce the impacts of natural disasters.įragmentation of the landscape also takes an immeasurable toll on Virginia's biodiversity roads and other development have reduced the number of large patches of natural vegetation in Virginia. Without proper planning, this conversion can occur in decentralized and scattered patterns, consuming an excessive amount of land and causing unnecessary fragmentation of the landscape. Conversion of natural land to residential and commercial development is the primary mechanism by which habitat is lost permanently in Virginia. Habitat loss is the greatest threat to biodiversity. Contact Virginia Natural Landscape Assessment
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