Changes over time
The object of the research was the investigation of landscape fragmentation, e.g. by roads or canals, in Saxony. Here, the temporal change of the landscape through such dissection was to be investigated and which indices or evaluation methods were to be used.
The results have shown that large unfragmented open spaces can be found on the border of Saxony, especially on the border with the Czech Republic (see Fig. 15).
Fig. 15: Landscape fragmentation in Saxony (Source: WALZ 2013)
Observation of the landscape fragmentation over time has shown that the greatest change can be observed between 1930 and 2000. At first glance, the changes between 2000 and the predicted year 2020 are small, as the areas are already very small. However, further landscape fragmentation is also taking place, although few new unfragmented areas are being produced.
With the assessment of landscape fragmentation it is ultimately possible to evaluate the condition of natural habitat or the recreational content of a landscape.
