The impacts of urban sprawl on ecological connectivity in the Montreal Metropolitan Region |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Institut des sciences de la forêt tempérée, Université du Québec en Outaouais, 58, rue Principale, Ripon J0V 1V0, Québec, Canada;2. Barcelona Institute of Regional and Metropolitan Studies, Edifici MRA, Autonomous University of Barcelona, E-08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain;3. Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Docteur Penfield ave., Montréal H3A 1B1, Québec, Canada;4. Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science, Office W6/19, 1205 Ave Docteur Penfield, Montréal H3A 1B1, Québec, Canada;5. Département de géographie, Université de Montréal, Université de Montréal, 520Chemin de la Côte Ste-Catherine, Montréal H3C 3J7, Québec, Canada;6. Department of Economic History and Institutions, University of Barcelona, 08034 Barcelona, Spain;1. Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG), Section 3, Geochronology and Isotope Hydrology, Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hannover, Germany;2. Institute of Geography, University of Cologne, Albertus Magnus Platz, 50923 Cologne, Germany;3. Dept. of Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan 49138-15739, Iran;4. Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES), Soil Science and Soil Ecology, Bonn University, Nussallee 13, 53115 Bonn, Germany;5. Dept. of Soil Sciences, Faculty of Water and Soil, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran;1. Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG), Stilleweg 2, 30655, Hannover, Germany;2. Institute of Geography, University of Cologne, Albertus Magnus Platz, 50923, Cologne, Germany;3. Department of Soil Sciences, Faculty of Water and Soil Engineering, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Gorgan, 49138-15739, Iran;4. Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany;5. Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation, Soil Science and Soil Ecology, University of Bonn, Nussallee 13, D-53115, Bonn, Germany;1. Green Economics (GECO), Stockholm Environment Institute, University of York, York, United Kingdom;2. Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy, School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom;3. Department of Biological Applications and Technologies, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece;1. Società Italiana per la Storia della Fauna “Giuseppe Altobello” Viale Liegi, 48A, 00198 Rome, Italy;2. Torre Flavia LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) Station, Protected Areas Service, Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale, via Tiburtina, 691, 00159, Rome, Italy;1. Département de phytologie, Faculté des sciences de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation Université Laval, Québec, Québec, Canada G1V 0A6;2. Institut des sciences de la forêt tempérée, Université du Québec en Outaouais, 58 rue Principale, Ripon, Québec, Canada J0V 1V0;1. Chrono-Environnement UMR 6249, French National Centre for Scientific Research—University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon, France;2. ThéMA UMR 6049, French National Centre for Scientific Research—University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besançon-Dijon, France |
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| Abstract: | Urban sprawl is a widely recognized phenomenon in many major cities worldwide and is a significant land use planning and management issue. This process has many impacts on the ecological function and structure of the landscape. In this article, we analyze the effects of urban sprawl on the ecological patterns and processes in the Montreal Metropolitan Region (MMR) between 1966 and 2010. The dispersed sprawl of low-density urban areas within the territory during this period sharply increased the fragmentation of the territory, isolating the few remaining natural spaces and decreasing their ecological connectivity and, ultimately, biodiversity. The results obtained clearly show that land-use changes that occurred in the MMR have caused profound changes in landscape properties, both structurally and functionally, and especially from 1981 to 2010. In 1966, around 45% of the land had a high or very high level of connectivity, and almost 38% in 1981. By 2010 only 6.5% of the landscape was connected and 73% of the territory possessed no or low connectivity. |
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| Keywords: | Urban sprawl Land-use change Fragmentation Ecological connectivity Montreal |
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