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PROPOSED
MEASURES: LANDSCAPE PATTERNS
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The proportion
of coastline that is natural habitat versus developed land. Changes
in the type and amount of natural habitats, and in the amount of developed
land, affect the capability of coastline areas to support animals and
plants. (Fig. 1)
The size of
habitat patches, and the distances between them, for key habitat types
in each region. The size and arrangement of habitat patches affect
their value as fish and wildlife habitat and their future existence.
(Key habitat types are identified on the Extent
page.) (Fig. 2)
No trend information
can be reported.
| Example:
Percentage of Shoreline in Various Land Uses, Four Study Areas,
1993 (1) Technical
Note |
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Shown here
is the percentage of land in various habitat types, as well as developed
land, within approximately one-quarter mile (0.5 kilometers) of
the coast. Study sites are areas of coastline from 120 to 155 miles
in length. Each site includes many more miles of actual shoreline,
because the analysis included bays, marsh edges, creeks and rivers,
and similar features. |
| Source:
NOAA Coastal Services Center |
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| Fragmentation
of Coastal Habitat (2) |
 |
| Habitats,
like wetlands or seagrass, can be broken into smaller patches, often
by human activity, and these fragments can become more isolated
from one another over time. This change can create barriers to species
movement, allow greater access by predators and parasites from adjacent
areas, and reduce the amount of habitat for species that need larger
and more interconnected patches. Nature’s capability to support
fish and wildlife and contribute to the normal functioning of coastal
ecosystems is affected by these patterns. |
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STATUS
OF DATA & OTHER NOTES
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We were not
able to clearly define measures for either natural habitat versus
developed land or for coastal habitat size and separation distance.
Additional work is necessary to identify appropriate measures.
Information on shoreline land use is presented here as an example
of such reporting; a key question is how wide a strip of coastal
land should be included in such an analysis.
No consistent
and comprehensive national information is available to report
on the percentage of shoreline devoted to different land uses.
Presented here are the results of a one-time analysis conducted
for this prototype by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) Coastal Change Analysis Program.
No consistent
and comprehensive national information is available to report
on the size of key coastal habitat types or the distances between
habitat areas.
Please see
the Technical
Notes for additional information.
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