This project was made possible by the very generous support of an anonymous donor and
Pulling together a project of this size takes a lot of work. The help of Jayme Nelson, Katherine Hill and Kathryn Wagner from Inside Education was invaluable. We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you!
AC Atienza, Brendan Bate, Shannon Smithwick, Steff Stephansson, Kaleigh Watson, Andrew Wilson.
To fragment means to separate or break apart [1]. Therefore, habitat fragmentation is the interruption of ecological habitats, involving a change and sometimes a loss of habitat [2]. Habitat fragmentation often occurs when habitats become disconnected because of destruction, either naturally or by human activity [3].
Habitat fragmentation threatens the interconnection of water, communities, and ecosystems. When ecological isolation occurs, and naturally undisturbed areas are exposed to human activities, the fragmented areas change, sometimes losing their ability to support organisms [4]. When a species relies on specific environmental conditions, and habitat fragmentation traps them in a smaller, less suitable habitat, they are at risk of genetic isolation and extinction [5].
Imagine you lived in a large neighbourhood that had everything you needed nearby, your friends and family, grocery stores, and your school or work. Now, imagine that new roads and buildings were built right in the middle of your access to essential resources, leaving your community divided into smaller regions. This would make it harder for you to live your daily life, needing to learn new routes and take more time to get places. This breaking apart of your community is fragmentation, and this similar process breaks up ecosystems.
This division can impact the wildlife living in these areas and have the following impacts:
Habitat fragmentation in the last century is primarily caused by human activities, but natural events can also cause habitat destruction.
Examples of human-induced habitat fragmentation:
Examples of environmental-induced habitat fragmentation:
Anthropogenic (i.e. human caused) influences and natural events disrupting the integrity of habitats leads to ecological and biological consequences. Understanding the origins of habitat fragmentation is essential for developing strategies that mitigate its impacts and preserve biodiversity.
In 1950, there were around 5,000 dams across the world, in 2020 there were 58,7158 in 167 countries, occupying over 300 km2 [9]. In Canada, there are over 15,000 dams, and 1,157 are considered “large” by the ICOLD (International Commission on Large Dams) definition and are owned by the federal and provincial governments, municipalities, electric utility companies, irrigation districts, and individuals [10]. It is estimated that 48% of all dams worldwide have reduced river connectivity, demonstrating the massive scale of fragmentation occurring across the world [11]. Dams in Canada and across the world are used for many different purposes, including electricity generation, and irrigation. However, dams interrupt waterways, which can impact aquatic species, interrupt migration routes, isolate spawning grounds, and favour species that can quickly adapt to the new habitat caused by the dam [12].
Increases in flood risks due to changes in land use and water cycles suggest that floods will become more frequent and severe [18].
Floods can impact ecosystems by changing where water flows or how it moves, separating habitats, eroding soil, depositing sediments, and destroying vegetation. When floods change ecosystems, they prompt changes in land use, which can further fragment habitats through isolating species, increasing extinction risk.
Floods are the most common natural hazard in Canada and usually result from heavy rainfall or ice jams although there are other causes of flooding (e.g. storm surge). Flood management and preparation should consider hydrological and ecological dynamics to enhance resilience in flood-prone areas. This link provides flood resource preparation for Canadians [19].
The ‘edge effect’ caused by habitat fragmentation demonstrates how the edges of a habitat can vary greatly from the interior. For example, the sunlight, plants, and food sources are different between the interior and edges of habitats. Edge creation can be both positive and negative. For example, browsing wildlife like deer and moose benefit from new growth woody plants. On the negative side, new habitation creates opportunity for rapid growth new species of plants which may be undesirable. Once fragmentation occurs, more edge areas are created, and thus the organisms are faced with altered habitat conditions [20].
Edge creation can be both positive and negative. For example, browsing wildlife such as deer and moose benefit from new growth woody plants. On the negative side, new habitation creates opportunity for rapid growth of new species of plants which may be undesirable.
In Canada, habitat fragmentation most commonly occurs because of urban and infrastructure development. Here are some examples highlighting events and projects that have caused water-related habitat fragmentation.
The basis of life in the Arctic is sea ice, and as the climate changes ice is melting, habitats are shrinking and moving [21]. This type of fragmentation is unique from other examples since it occurs not because of direct development in a specific area, it is induced through the burning of fossil fuels throughout the last century [22] and other factors such as naturally occurring climate cycles (El Niño, La Niña), volcanic eruptions, tectonic plate movement and global deforestation.
For oil and bitumen (oil sands) to be extracted from the ground, forests need to be cleared, destroying some of the densest habitats on the planet. As you will learn on the ‘forests‘ page, forests play an integral role in the water cycle and further impact larger weather systems.
Hydroelectric power involves implementing large dams in waterways to control the flow of water. In British Columbia, hydroelectric dams can block the migration routes of aquatic species, particularly impacting salmon, which are crucial to the livelihoods of Indigenous communities, and the local ecosystem. Dams are important for the energy transition away from reliance on fossil fuels, but they impact the flow, sediment transport, and water temperatures of the water systems they exist in [23]. For example, when sediment cannot continually flow with water through a dam, there becomes build-up of sediment upstream, and a sediment deficiency downstream [24]. Furthermore, the removal of riparian vegetation previously providing shade to the water source can impact temperatures, and the discharged water from the dam can be warmer, which impact species and habitats downstream [25].
Connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Great Lakes is the St. Lawrence Seaway, a series of locks and channels that has brought significant ecological changes including introducing invasive species and altering natural water flow [26].
Agricultural expansion in Saskatchewan and Manitoba has led to the draining of wetlands, reducing the area and increasing the distance between wetland habitats, resulting in habitat fragmentation. Losing the ecosystem services offered by wetlands such as housing biodiversity, flood mitigation, and water purification, impacts the health of aquatic ecosystems [27].
Development in the Greater Toronto Area has been encroaching on lakes and rivers, fragmenting riparian zones (vegetation between land and a river or stream). Urbanization also increases demand for water, surface runoff challenging natural drainage, and polluting local water chemistry. It also increases the demand for water and supporting infrastructure further challenging historical runoff and natural drainage. As Ontario’s population continues to grow by 31.5% (4.6 million) in the next 3 decades, ecological networks can expect to be further interrupted [28].
Habitat fragmentation can impact water quantity and quality. The following list highlights some ways that habitat fragmentation contributes to water scarcity.
“Social equity” is a concept which is difficult to define precisely and different people define it differently. However, in this context and loosely speaking, social equity can be considered the “fair treatment of all peoples and communities” [30] or “the recognition and valuing of fair and just relations to promote collective wellbeing” [31].
Habitat fragmentation can impact social equity, affecting communities that may be economically or socially marginalized. Here’s how habitat fragmentation contributes to social inequities:
As mentioned, habitat fragmentation often leads to the deterioration of natural resources like clean water, fertile soil, and biodiversity. This can disproportionately affect communities that rely on these resources for their livelihoods, such as through fishing, farming, and gathering.
Communities often have a cultural tie to the locations they exist in and can have cultural practices involving natural landscapes and species [32]. Habitat fragmentation severs those connections, eroding cultures and diminishing cultural richness.
When habitat fragmentation leads to severe environmental changes, communities can be forced to relocate. Low-income populations like coastal or deforested communities become further vulnerable and may be forced to migrate to urban areas, potentially increasing urban inequities.
Through engaging in sustainable practices and supporting conservation initiatives. Here are some strategies communities can adopt.
Reconnecting isolated water systems, restoring riverbank vegetation, and implementing wildlife corridors can encourage natural ecological patterns that could have been interrupted through habitat fragmentation.
Lobbying for thorough environmental assessments before implementing new development projects, supporting protected areas, and enforcing regulations in place to limit harmful agricultural and industrial practices. Engaging your community in public consultations, engagement and planning committees advocating for ecological connectivity helps shape urban growth that is conscious of the communities it impacts.
Communities can influence local planning decisions to ensure that development is sustainable and minimizes environmental impact. Participating in public consultations, development reviews, and planning committees can help shape urban growth in ways that preserve natural habitats and maintain ecological connectivity.
Habitat fragmentation is a growing global concern as the human population increases and our societies develop and expand into new areas. The fragmentation generally has negative effects on the existing species, especially those species needing large untouched areas in which to live and roam. The fragmentation can also have negative effects on water supply and harm social equity. Often, habitats become fragmented for the benefit of human communities. Understanding the environmental positives and negatives, is important to make informed decisions to mitigate the impacts on aquatic ecosystems, water quality and quantity.
Maintain vegetated buffer zones along waterways to help filter pollutants, stabilize stream banks, reduce erosion, and provide continuous habitat for wildlife, to reduce fragmentation.
Engage in local habitat restoration projects to reconnect fragmented habitats, like restoring wetland areas, “daylighting” [33] streams and rivers (e.g. in Toronto [34]), and replanting native vegetation. Restoration improves ecological connectivity and resilience, facilitating wildlife movement and biodiversity.
Lobby for local, regional, and national policies that protect water resources and limit activities that lead to habitat fragmentation, like urban development or pollution. Effective policies create legal protections for ecosystems and enforce actions preventing habitat fragmentation.
Get involved in projects monitoring water quality, wildlife presence, and habitat changes. Collecting this data can help identify areas at risk of fragmentation, track changes over time, and inform management decisions.
Create a role-playing simulation game where students manage their own ecosystems. They must make decisions regarding land use, water management, and species protection to keep their ecosystems healthy while balancing economic and social needs. The objective is to teach students about the complexities of ecosystem management and the consequences of habitat fragmentation.
Use a large tray filled with mixed seeds (representing different species) and soil. Have students build barriers with cardboard to simulate roads, urban areas, and other forms of fragmentation. Observe how water flow (using a spray bottle) changes seed dispersal and soil erosion. This demonstrates how habitat fragmentation can affect plant distribution and water dynamics.
Organize a debate on different land management strategies and their potential impacts on habitat fragmentation and water resources. Topics could include the construction of wildlife corridors, urban green spaces, or the implementation of sustainable agriculture practices. This enhances critical thinking and public speaking skills while exploring practical solutions to habitat fragmentation.
Have students create short documentaries or digital presentations on specific case studies related to habitat fragmentation. They could interview local experts, conduct field research, and use multimedia tools to present their findings. This encourages creative expression and in-depth research skills while educating peers about habitat fragmentation.
Partner with local environmental organizations to participate in a habitat restoration project, such as planting native vegetation, removing invasive species, or cleaning up waterways. This provides hands-on experience with conservation efforts and illustrates the importance of active ecosystem management to counteract habitat fragmentation.
Find a local real-life example that can form the basis of how your class team would develop that project that incorporates concepts and experiences presented in this chapter. For example, the Ricardo Ranch Project in Calgary.
Share this Post:
We provide Canadian educational resources on water practices to promote conservation and sustainability. Our team crafts current and relevant content, while encouraging feedback and engagement.
The Canada WaterPortal is a registered charity, #807121876RR0001
We recognize and respect the sovereignty of the Indigenous Peoples and communities on whose land our work takes place.
© 2024 All Rights Reserved.
Ross has extensive executive experience in Operations, Governance, Information Technology and Strategy at the board and senior management level including Mancal Corporation, Mancal Energy, Highridge Exploration and Atlantis Resources. He has worked in Oil and Gas, Coal, Commercial Real Estate, Portfolio Management, Recreation, Retail and Water and Wastewater Treatment. His experience is also geographically diverse having overseen operations in Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Additionally, he has been on the board of companies with operations in Argentina, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Kazakhstan, and Russia. He has served on numerous Public, Private and Not for Profit Boards across a number of industries.
Ross has been active on several industry Boards and committees including the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and The Schulich School of Engineering Industry Advisory Council at the Schulich School of Engineering.
Brian is a seasoned Cleantech entrepreneur with a proven history of successfully bringing complex water technologies to the market. With over 25 years of experience, he has led various organizations to achieve significant milestones in the industry.
Having started as the founding CEO of the Pressure Pipe Inspection Company (PPIC) and later taking the helm at the Water Technology Acceleration Project (WaterTAP), Brian’s entrepreneurial spirit has been instrumental in driving innovation and growth within the sector.
He is an active investor in the cleantech sector and has served on many boards including the Ontario Clean Water Agency.
Actively engaged in industry associations like AWWA, WEF, IWA, and ASCE, Brian enjoys collaborating with fellow professionals to promote advancements in the field.
Brian holds an undergraduate degree and a PhD in Physics from Queen’s University, which has provided him with a solid technical foundation. As a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, he brings valuable insights to corporate governance.