Landscape trajectories and their effect on fragmentation for a Mediterranean semi-arid ecosystem in Central Chile

Changes in land use and land cover reflect anthropogenic effects in areas with a long history of human occupation, such as Mediterranean regions. To understand the landscape dynamics of a semi-arid Mediterranean ecosystem in Chile, we evaluated land-cover trajectories and their effects on landscape spatial patterns over a period of 36 years (1975–2011). We used landscape metrics combined with surveys of landowners to distinguish the main drivers of landscape change. General results indicated that changes in forest area followed both natural (64%) and human-induced (36%) trajectories. At the landscape level, fragmentation for all forest cover types increased, whereas at the class level, fragmentation of Native Forest decreased. The landscape changed from a homogeneous mosaic dominated by grazing and agriculture to a more heterogeneous environment, where natural cover had become more dominant. Thus, the use of a landscape ecology approach together with field information improved our understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics in this landscape. This study is one of the first to assess landscape dynamics of the Mediterranean semi-arid region of Chile. This is important because it aids decision-making for biodiversity conservation in a global hotspot and land-use planning.