Structural properties of agricultural and rural landscapes in river Bregalnica watershed

Abstract

The human contribution in definition of the landscape character is most evident in agricultural and rural landscapes. The long-lasting human-nature interaction has had a distinctive role in nurturing secondary anthropogenic habitats which are significant for the preservation of biodiversity in contemporary environment, particularly in Europe. The shift in local people practices continuously reflects upon the landscape structure and its pattern. Assessment and subsequent management of landscape structural properties is crucial for preservation of the landscape functionality, especially in a region where there are ongoing conservation efforts. Bregalnica river basin is a large region in eastern part of the Republic of Macedonia with a high potential for biodiversity conservation while significant portion of the basin is represented by agricultural and rural landscapes. Following, the aim of this study is to assess the structural properties of agricultural and rural landscapes in the river Bregalnica watershed and to assess the “nature friendliness” of agricultural and rural landscapes that were historically managed differently. For this purpose, types and coverage of land cover classes in landscape types of both agricultural and rural landscapes groups have been assessed. Structural properties were assessed by calculating basic area-edge metrics, shape metrics, aggregation metrics and diversity metrics at the class and landscape level. The results show that fragmentation levels vary from high in agricultural landscapes to moderate in rural landscapes clearly separating both landscape groups in their capacity to sustain biodiversity.