Concerns from the mid-Atlantic were then matched to our ability to take meaningful measurements, recognizing that some things just can t be measured very well given the available data or models. As a result of workshops and advice from people in the mid-Atlantic region, four general environmental themes were identified people, water, forests, and landscape change. Figures 1.5 and 1.6 are pictorial representations of key landscape attributes that affect the sustainability of environmental condition across broad scales. Figure 1.5 shows some key landscape components that sustain a high quality environment, and Figure 1.6 shows some human modifications of the landscape that can reduce the sustainability of natural resources. These illustrations represent some of the important landscape indicators analyzed in this atlas.
Habitat fragmentation can result in the loss of a species due to natural disturbance.
In this example, larger, more connected habitat sustains the species over time, whereas smaller, more isolared habitat loses the species over time. The number of forest scales surrounding a point in the landscape determines the variety of forest species found there Forest edge habitat is important for many species that require more than one habitat type to survive Figure 1.5. A pictorial representation of some landscape components that sustain a high-quality environment. The amount and location of agriculture in a watershed influences landscape pattern Roads near streams increase sediment and pollution loads by increasing surface runoff Population growth results in loss of forest and changes in overall watershed landscape pattern Figure 1.6. A pictorial representation of some human modifications of the landscape that reduce the sustainability of natural resources.