Fragmentation terminology

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is a measure of the richness of species within an ecosystem.

Ex-Urbanization

The term ex-urbanization deals with the commonly discussed topic of urban sprawl.  It is simply defined as,  "The migration of urban residents to rural environments" (Egan 2000).  This migration from urban to rural leads to a greater fragmentation of the landscape.  The land which was once a 100-acre farm has now been sub-divided into 50 two-acre plots with a house in the middle creating more of a suburbia life. 

The demand for this type of housing is on the increase.  As the cities become more crowded, more and more people begin to yearn for space.  Many of them settle into a nice lot somewhere between the small towns and the city where they can still keep the comforts of an urban lifestyle, but have the pleasures of a rural setting.  Thus, creating a pseudo-country life.

This type of behavior not only  affects the land, but also the current rural population.  These so-called 'city-folks' have different ideas and expectations for their land than the long-time dwellers on that land.  Thus, many social and political conflicts arise in these suburban areas. 

Parcelization

The term parcelization, used often alongside the term fragmentation, refers to a separation of the land base into distinct parcel due to changes in ownership patterns.  The end result of parcelization is fragmentation; however the two terms are distinct in nature and in management techniques.  The most common form of parcelization occurs when a landowner passes away and leaves his/her property to multiple recipients.  These recipients, usually children or close friends of the deceased, then are left with a considerable smaller land base than the original landowner.  For instance, say that the primary landowner had 200 acres of land; they have 5 children to which they evenly divvy up the land, with each child then receiving 40 acres.  The management opportunities on 40 acres of land are significantly different than the management opportunities on 200 acres of land.  Also, now instead of one management objective, there are five; one child may want to sell their land to a development corporation while another may want to seed theirs for an agricultural crop while another may want to grow pine trees.   The challenges associated with parcelization are numerous.

Parcelization can however occur without fragmentation.  The multiple landowners may decide to manage their land on a community basis so that it appears much like it did under single ownership.  This community outlook emerges as the primary way to help control the negative effects of parcelization.

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