Abstract:
Maintaining the continuity of the ecosystem has become a core aspect of urban planning policies. Human-caused LF represents a serious danger to the conservation of the Earth's natural habitats. Several researchers identify human-caused environmental, also known as LF as one of the primary drivers of biodiversity loss. Landscape fragmentation as a result of transportation infrastructure and urban development poses a threat to human and environmental health by increasing traffic noise and pollution, reducing the size and viability of wildlife populations, facilitating the spread of invasive species, and reducing the scenic and recreational qualities of the landscape. The phenomenon consists of the transformation of larger habitat patches into smaller ones or fragments. It is especially noticeable in urban areas, including settlements and numerous transport and mobility infrastructures. The aim of this thesis is to promote protection of natural landscape and biodiversity, promoting forms of sustainable development. By evaluating in this study the LF dynamics of landscape of Tirana, central region of Albania comparing with two cities of western Balkan, respectively Skopje and Sarajevo, by focusing in urban metropolitan area to find the dynamic between fragmented areas and less fragmented ones. To analyze LF and measure the impact on environment and biodiversity, quantitative metrics capable of assessing landscape patterns and changes are used. To quantify/measure LF in this study, the effective mesh size (meff) method is applied by using QGIS 3.10 software, and Urban Atlas dataset, which enables comparison of urban spatial patterns.
