Functional connectivity and anthropogenic effects in agriculture landscapes: a case study in Brazilian Cerrado - Brazil

Landscapes in the Anthropocene are dominated by agroecosystems and, although they can provide resources for biodiversity, most landscape ecology studies overlook agroecosystems importance for conservation. However, understanding the influence of agroecosystems on biodiversity requires measure specific variables and performs complex analyses that demand a planning system which is still lacking. In this project, we combine concepts focused on agricultural landscapes, providing a framework to deal with these elements in landscape ecology to analyse biodiversity and ecosystem services dynamics through time. We consider the spatial and temporal characteristics of agroecosystems in a multi-taxa perspective, pointing out the role of structural, functional and temporal heterogeneity, functional connectivity, habitat quality, and habitat/matrix edge influence in biodiversity. Additionally, we account for the effects of farmers’ choices, external drivers, such as technical constraints, bank loan requirements, public policies, and market as important regulators of the dynamics of agroecosystems.