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HABITAT FRAGMENTATION DUE TO TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURES IN ROMANIA-S PROTECTED AREAS NETWORK
Abstract
The habitats and species conservation is one of the most important objectives for the European Union. Loss and habitat fragmentation are the main threats to biodiversity conservation. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the road density on habitats and species richness in Natura 2000 network in Romania. Also, the study looks at how the protected areas distribution and major landscape characteristics influence the transportation network planning. Only Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) as part of the Natura 2000 sites in Romania, were analyzed in the study (terrestrial or freshwater). We have identified 65 types of habitats included in Annex I of the Habitats Directive, and calculated the habitat richness for each SCIs. The density of the transport network was determined for each Natura 2000 site included in the study using ArcGIS software. The average value calculated is 0.47 km/km2. Our results showed that the habitats in Natura 2000 network are highly fragmented, with considerable negative impact over the existing species. There are few road less protected areas in the sampled Sites of Community Importance located in areas with high and rugged mountainous terrain, scarcely populated. The results underline the necessity of transport network planning considering the landscape characteristics and the protected areas distribution, in order to have a well-balanced territorial planning.The habitats and species conservation is one of the most important objectives for the European Union. Loss and habitat fragmentation are the main threats to biodiversity conservation. This study aims to evaluate the impact of the road density on habitats and species richness in Natura 2000 network in Romania. Also, the study looks at how the protected areas distribution and major landscape characteristics influence the transportation network planning. Only Sites of Community Importance (SCIs) as part of the Natura 2000 sites in Romania, were analyzed in the study (terrestrial or freshwater). We have identified 65 types of habitats included in Annex I of the Habitats Directive, and calculated the habitat richness for each SCIs. The density of the transport network was determined for each Natura 2000 site included in the study using ArcGIS software. The average value calculated is 0.47 km/km2. Our results showed that the habitats in Natura 2000 network are highly fragmented, with considerable negative impact over the existing species. There are few road less protected areas in the sampled Sites of Community Importance located in areas with high and rugged mountainous terrain, scarcely populated. The results underline the necessity of transport network planning considering the landscape characteristics and the protected areas distribution, in order to have a well-balanced territorial planning.
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