Modelling impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on mammal species

Abstract

Mammals are declining in numbers worldwide. A major cause of this is loss and fragmentation of habitat due to human land use. To identify sensitive species and areas and prioritise conservation measures, it is important to quantify current and future impacts of land use. This requires both reliable data on species traits and ecologically relevant indicators. This PhD thesis contributes to this by (1) validating expert knowledge on habitat suitability for mammals, (2) collecting and analysing data on the home range of mammals – the area animals need to reproduce and survive – and (3) developing indicators that represent the effects of both habitat loss and fragmentation.