What is habitat fragmentation?
1 Answer
Habitat fragmentation is a process by which habitat loss occurs, leading to the division of a large widespread habitat into smaller isolated patches.
Explanation:
Usually habitat fragmentation is the cause of several species becoming threatened or endangered. This is due to the fact that habitat is critical to the survival of a species.
Natural habitats along migratory routes of animals are getting destroyed every year and there is an alarming increase in man-animal conflict.
Plants are also affected by habitat ( forest ) fragmentation, as they cannot respond quickly to the altered spatial configuration of the habitat.
Habitat fragmentation may occur due to :-
A) Human activities.
Roads, urbanisation and agriculture are the major human activities that break up natural habitats,resulting in disastrous implications on wildlife.
As human activities increase, it leads to devastating effects on native species and a total change of the landscape. This destroys the area's wilderness heritage.
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B) Natural processes.
Habitat fragmentation may also occur due to natural processes caused by geological circumstances like flooding, volcanoes, forest fires or drying up of rivers. These slowly alter the layout of the physical environment, thus changing the delicate balance of an ecosystem.
