Analysing Landscape Fragmentation and Classifying Threats for Habitats of Community Interest in the “Iron Gates” Natural Park (Romania)

Niculae, Mihăiţă-Iulian; Niţă, Mihai Răzvan; Vanău, Gabriel

doi:10.1515/trser-2015-0042

Abstract

Our study aims at evaluating the ecological impact of landscape fragmentation, identifying, and classifying the threats affecting habitats of community interest in the “Iron Gates” Natural Park. We used landscape metrics for assessing the fragmentation process, results expressing decreases in the values of three metrics (MPS, ED, SDI) and increases for two metrics (NumP and IJI). We observed an insignificant increase in landscape fragmentation related to a reduced decrease of its landscape diversity for the 1990-2006 timeframe. We classified the main anthropic threats to habitats of community interest in three main categories: diversification and densification of buildings and transportation infrastructures, land use and industrial activities.

References

1. Antrop M., 2004 – Landscape change and the urbanization process in Europe, Landscape and Urban Planning, 67, 9-26.10.1016/S0169-2046(03)00026-4
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
2. Bossard M., Feranec J. and Otahel J., 2000 – Technical report no. 40. CORINE land cover technical guide – Addendum 2000, European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, 105.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
3. Burel F. and Baudry J., 1999 – Ecologie du paysage, Editions TEC and DOC, Paris, 359. (in French)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
4. CCMESI, 1999 – Dinamica peisajelor rurale din România, Studiu de caz: Câmpia Română, Contract 17/1998, Cod CNCSU 56A, Tema 2, Bucureşti. (in Romanian)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
5. CCMESI, 2014 – Integrated Management Of Biological And Landscape Diversity For Sustainable Regional Development And Ecological Connectivity In The Carpathians.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
6. Chincea I., Niculae M. I., Pătroescu M. and Nita M. R., 2014 – Spatial-temporal forms of Human pressure and their environmental impacts in the Caraş-Severin County, Romania, World Journal of Environmental Research, 4, 2, 53-60.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
7. Cucu L. A., Niculae M. I. and Pătroescu M., 2013a – Hierarchical analysis of the threats for species of Community Interest in the “Iron Gates” Natural Park, Romania, Forum Geografic, Studii și cercetări de geografie și protecția mediului, 12, 1, 52-58.10.5775/fg.2067-4635.2013.047.i
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
8. Cucu L. A., Niculae M. I. and Pătroescu M., 2013b – Species management in the “Iron Gates” Natural Park, Present Environment and Sustainable Development, 7, 2, 145-155.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
9. Eiden G., Kayadjanian M. and Vidal C., 2000 – Quantifing Landscape Structures: spatial and temporal dimensions, in From land cover to landscape diversity in the European Union, EU, http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/publi/landscape/ch2.htm#2, Accessed at 27.04.2015.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
10. Evans D., 2012 – Building the EU’s Natura 2000 network, Nature Conservation, 1, 11-26.10.3897/natureconservation.1.1808
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
11. Farina A., 1998 – Principles and methods in landscape ecology, Chapman and Hall, London, 412.10.1007/978-94-015-8984-0
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
12. Feranec J., Jaffrain G., Soukup T. and Hazeu G., 2010 – Determining changes and flows in European landscapes 1990-2000 using CORINE land cover data, Applied Geography, 30, 19-35.10.1016/j.apgeog.2009.07.003
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
13. Fischer J. and Lindenmayer D. B., 2007 – Landscape modification and habitat fragmentation. A synthesis, Global Ecology and Biogeography, 16, 265-280.10.1111/j.1466-8238.2007.00287.x
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
14. Forman R. T. T., 1995 – Land mosaics: the ecology of Landscapes and Regions, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 656.10.1017/9781107050327
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
15. Forman R. T. T. and Gordon M., 1986 – Landscape Ecology, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 618.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
16. Guvernul României, 2011 – HG nr. 971/2011 pentru modificarea şi completarea Hotărârii Guvernului nr. 1.284/2007, Monitorul Oficial al României, I, 715/2011. (in Romanian)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
17. Guvernul României, 2013 – Hotărârea nr. 1048/2013, Monitorul Oficial al României, I, 119/2014. (in Romanian)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
18. Heymann Y., Steenmans C., Croisille G. and Bossard M., 1994 – CORINE Land Cover. Technical guide, Office for Official Publication of the EC, Luxembourg, 136.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
19. Ioja C., Pătroescu M., Rozylowicz L., Popescu V., Vergheleț M., Zotta M. and Felciuc M., 2010 – The efficacy of Romania’s protected areas, Biological Conservation, 143, 11, 2468-2476.10.1016/j.biocon.2010.06.013
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
20. Ioja C., 2013 – Metode de evaluare a stării mediului, Edit. Etnologică, Bucureşti, 183. (in Romanian)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
21. IUCN, 2014 – IUCN Protected Areas Categories System, available at http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/gpap_home/gpap_quality/gpap_pacategories.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
22. Lindenmayer D. B. and Fischer J., 2006 – Habitat fragmentation and landscape change, An ecological and conservation synthesis, Island Press, Washington, DC, 88-106.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
23. Matacă S. S., 2005 – Parcul Natural Porțile de Fier. Floră, Edit. Universitaria, Craiova. (in Romanian)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
24. McGarigal K. and Marks B. J., 1994 – FRAGSTATS, Spatial pattern analysis program for quantifying landscape structure, Version 2.0, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 134.10.2737/PNW-GTR-351
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
25. McGarigal K., Cushman S. A., Neel M. C. and Ene E., 2002 – FRAGSTATS: Spatial Pattern Analysis Program for Categorical Maps, Amherst, MA, University of Massachusetts, available at http://www.umass.edu/landeco/research/fragstats/fragstats.html, accessed at 22.04.2015.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
26. Ministerul Mediului și Pădurilor, 2011 – Ordinul nr. 2387/2011 pentru modificarea Ordinului ministrului mediului şi dezvoltării durabile nr. 1.964/2007 privind instituirea regimului de arie naturală protejată a siturilor de importanţă comunitară, ca parte integrantă a reţelei ecologice europene Natura 2000, Monitorul Oficial al României, I, 846/2011. (in Romanian)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
27. Niculae M. I. and Pătroescu M., 2011 – Quantifying forest ecosystems fragmentation in the Subcarpathians between the Râmnicu Sărat and the Buzău valleys, Romania, using landscape metrics, Forum Geografic, Studii şi cercetări de geografie şi protecţia mediului, 10, 1, 187-194.10.5775/fg.2067-4635.2011.037.i
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
28. Niculae M. A. I., 2012 – Evoluţia spaţială şi temporală a peisajelor din Subcarpaţii cuprinşi între Buzău şi Râmnicu Sărat, Edit. Universităţii din Bucureşti, Bucureşti. (in Romanian)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
29. Pătroescu M. and Rozylowicz L., 2000 – Natural Transborder Parks: the direction of Biodiversity preservation in Romania, in Crabbe P. et al. (ed.) Implementing ecological integrity, Kluwer Academic Press, 101-113.10.1007/978-94-011-5876-3_7
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
30. Pătroescu M., Chincea I., Pascovici N., Ioja C., Matacă S. S., Popa M. E., Florescu V., Vâlceanu C., Odorescu I., Popescu V., Dumitraşcu D., Rozylowicz L., Necsuliu R. and Sbîrcea S., 2004 – Planul de management al Parcului Natural Porțile de Fier în perspectiva dezvoltării durabile, Drobeta, Seria Științele naturii, XIV, Edit. Craiova, Drobeta Turnu-Severin, 64-92. (in Romanian)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
31. Pătru-Stupariu I., Stupariu M. S. and Cuculici R., 2009 – Landscape metrics for assessment of mountain landscape using GIS applications, Revista de Geomorfologie, 11, 59-62.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
32. Pătru-Stupariu I., Stupariu M. S., Cuculici R. and Huzui A., 2011 – Application of the global indicators to landscape change modeling on Prahova Valley (Romanian Carpathians and Subcarpathians), International Journal of the Physical Sciences, 6, 3, 534-539.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
33. Pe’er G., Dicks L. V., Visconti P., Arlettaz R., Báldi A., Benton T. G., Collins S., Dietrich M., Gregory R. D., Hartig F., Henle K., Hobson P. R., Kleijn D., Neumann R. K., Robijns T., Schmidt J., Shwartz A., Sutherland W. J., Turbé A., Wulf F. and Scott A. V., 2014 – EU agricultural reform fails on biodiversity, Science, 344, 1090-1092.10.1126/science.125342524904142
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
34. Popescu V. D., Rozylowicz L., Niculae I. M., Cucu A. L. and Hartel T., 2014 – Species, Habitats, Society: An Evaluation of Research Supporting EU’s Natura 2000 Network, PLoS ONE, 9, 11, e113648.10.1371/journal.pone.0113648424059225415188
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
35. Primack R. B., Pătroescu M., Rozylowicz L. and Ioja C., 2008 – Fundamentele conservării diversităţii biologice, Edit. AGIR, Bucureşti, 668 (in Romanian)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
36. Pullin A. S., Baldi A., Can O. E., Dieterich M., Kati V., Livoreil B., Lövei G., Mihók B., Nevin O., Selva N. and Sousa-Pinto I., 2009 – Conservation Focus on Europe: Major Conservation Policy Issues, Conservation Biology, 23, 818-824.10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01283.x19627313
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
37. Rempel R. S., Kaukinen D. and Carr A. P., 2012 – Patch Analyst and Patch Grid, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Centre for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Thunder Bay, Ontario. Available at http://www.cnfer.on.ca/SEP/patchanalyst/, accessed at 26.04.2015.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
38. Rozylowicz L., 2008 – Metode de analiză a distribuţiei areal-geografice a ţestoasei lui Hermann (Testudo hermanni Gmelin, 1789) în România, Studiu de caz: Parcul Natural Porţile de Fier, Edit. Universității din București. (in Romanian)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
39. Schreiber W. E., Drăguţ L. and Man T. C. (eds), 2003 – Analiza peisajelor geografice din partea de vest a Câmpiei Transilvaniei, Presa Universitară Clujeană, Cluj-Napoca. (in Romanian)
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
40. Turner I. B. L. and Meyer W. B., 1994 – Global Land-Use and Land Cover Change: An Overview, in Changes in Land Use and Land Cover: A global Perspective, Mezer B. I. and Turner B. L., (eds), Cambridge University Press.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
41. Turner M. G., Gardner R. H. and O’Neill R. V., 2001 – Landscape ecology in theory and practice, Pattern and process, Springer-Verlag, New York, USA, 406.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article

Analysing Landscape Fragmentation and Classifying Threats for Habitats of Community Interest in the “Iron Gates” Natural Park (Romania)

Abstract

Paradigm

My account