Landscape ecological perspectives of biodiversity conservation

The increasing intensification of agriculture and growing urbanisation lead to the degradation of natural habitats, negatively affecting the biota and their ecosystem functions. However, these impacts do not only occur locally but can also be measured at a much more distant landscape scale. Thus, we cannot protect wildlife only in protected areas but need landscape-scale conservation strategies, including our built and cultivated environment. In the first half of this presentation, I will give a brief overview of landscape structure and the types of how this can be studied. I will then present the meta-analysis as a quantitative summary methodology using the example of a study on the effectiveness of agri-environment schemes modified by landscape composition. Through several case studies and a further meta-analysis, I will highlight the importance of landscape structure in determining the biodiversity patterns and functions of different habitats and the effectiveness of various conservation treatments. At the end of the presentation, I will encourage the audience to consider landscape scale and structure with some recommendations.