What is Habitat Fragmentation?

What is habitat fragmentation? 

Habitat fragmentation refers to the breaking of or fragmentation of forest areas and large habitats, leading to confining wildlife to smaller, isolated patches of land.

What causes habitat fragmentation? 

Habitat fragmentation is caused by developmental projects like roadways, powerlines, dams and agriculture. 

Who is most affected by habitat fragmentation? 

Animals that need large habitats like elephants and tigers, tree-dwelling animals like hoolock gibbons and orangutans, and animals that migrate like wildebeest are most affected by habitat fragmentation. 

What is the edge effect? 

Smaller forest fragments means that more species are forced to live on the edge of forests. This leads to a decline in species numbers as many species are sensitive to changes in light, moisture and temperature.