Landscape Ecology

Landscape ecology is a relatively young, interdisciplinary (or transdisciplinary) field drawn from the subjects of ecology, geography, and landscape architecture (see Figure 1). It focuses on the relationships between landscape patterns and ecological processes across a broad range of spatial and temporal scales. Human interactions are strongly emphasized, given the often dominant influence of humanity on landscape composition, structure, and functionality. In the past 20 to 30 years, a variety of pattern indices and modeling techniques have been developed to study the heterogeneous, dynamic, human-modified ecosystems across the globe. Research has cast light on ecological conservation, natural resource management, landscape and urban planning, and sustainable land use in many European, North American, Oceanic, and Asian countries.