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Connectivity of Forest Patches via Wooded Corridors Increases Biodiversity at Low, but Not High, Forest Amounts

Lindsay Daly,J. Gabriel,Adrianne C. Hajdasz,Amanda E. Martin,Greg W. Mitchell,Adam C. Smith,L. Fahrig

Published 2025 in Conservation Letters

ABSTRACT

To determine whether we can reduce the impacts of forest loss on biodiversity by altering forest pattern, we need to estimate the effects of forest pattern independent of forest amount. We evaluated the independent and interactive effects of forest amount, fragmentation, and connectivity (wooded corridors) on diversity of forest‐associated plants, small mammals, and birds. We selected 70 forest sites in eastern Ontario, Canada with low correlations between these landscape predictors. We found positive effects of forest amount, neutral or positive effects of forest fragmentation, and an interaction effect between connectivity and forest amount. In landscapes with low forest amount, biodiversity increased with connectivity, while at high forest amount, biodiversity decreased with connectivity. Thus, forest patches should be protected regardless of size, and conservation actions aimed at improving connectivity by adding wooded corridors should be prioritized in areas where forest is scarce, for example agricultural and urban areas.

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