Abstract
Landscape fragmentation and ecological connectivity are thematics which became increasingly important in Europe in the last three to four decades and are part of the landscape ecology field. Mountain areas with their rich biodiversity are of special interest to be preserved and where ecological networks need to be developed. The Institute for Regional Development of Eurac Research was involved in several cross-border projects regarding the improvement of ecological networks in mountain regions in central and eastern Europe in the last 15 years. It gained experience in ecological network modelling, stakeholder involvement, awareness raising and development of action plans to improve ecological networks.
This presentation is an invited speech dedicated to university students for a course on landscape ecology. It explains the definition, relevance and most important problems regarding ecological connectivity with a focus on mountain regions in Europe, using interactive tools to present the topic and problematics through an illustrative way. It explains the most important concepts about habitat fragmentation, functional and structural connectivity, anthropogenic barriers, and network modelling. It shows landscape fragmentation aspects in Alpine valleys over time, explains landscape permeability in Europe and the Alps, and gives examples of existing network concepts. Finally, it highlights the most important results of the Interreg Alpine Space PlanToConnect project, with a focus on South Tyrol: It explains the development of the red deer ecological network model for South Tyrol and shows options for measures to improve landscape permeability on some specific ecological corridors, highlighting the integration of ecological corridors in spatial plans.