Förbättrad habitatkonnektivitet i urbana områden : En fallstudie av rådjur i Stockholm

The conservation of biodiversity is fundamental for maintaining life on Earth. The current biodiversity loss caused by human activities affect ecosystem services which in turn threatens human well-being. Since habitat loss is the main driver of biodiversity loss on land, the present study builds on landscape ecology to suggest a practical tool for reinforcing habitat networks. The method behind the tool is grounded in graph theory and uses Least-Cost Path analysis to identify wildlife corridors. Applied to the widespread roe deer in a case study in Stockholm, the tool efficiently identifies a stepping-stone that reduces by 18% the effective cost across the whole network, and by 40% the effective cost for moving between two identified fragmented areas. Although the objectives of simplicity, transparency, and modularity appear to have been met, additional work on the matching score could improve the methodological robustness and accuracy of the model.