Landscape Ecology

by Richard T.T. Forman, Michel Godron

This book recognizes that disturbance, whether caused by humans or induced by natural forces, is a "normal" condition. This perspective differs from the ideological position of much of the literature in ecology, and it moves this book toward a more balanced (yet not anthropocentric) position. The theoretical assumption underlying this book— that all landscapes, from the wilderness to the central city and from the "natural" to the "developed," share a similar structural model— is an important one. The book outlines a powerful model— a spatial language for analysis— that enables us to view our disturbed and undisturbed landscapes in a new way. It opens the possibility of taking a more comprehensive and synergistic view of a considerable literature in ecology. This book should be of great interest and value to planners, designers, and managers of our land resources, whose actions must be understood from the perspectives of many natural systems with particular attention to spatial and temporal impacts. The language of landscape ecology offers the possibility of a mediating role between the natural sciences and the changers of landscapes. Without this mediating role— the translating role of a common language of structure, function and change— we can continue to act only under our current conditions of relative ignorance. At this point, the full implications of landscape ecology for theory and practice cannot be foreseen, but it holds the promise of a more integrated analytic framework. This ground-breaking book impels us in the direction of a more comprehensive understanding of the spatial dynamics of landscapes.

Genres: Landscape Architecture, Ecology

619 pages, Hardcover

First published February 10, 1986

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[Frva Rana]

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