Some Major Contributions of Landscape Ecology: Examples of Tools, Methods, and Applications
Recent decades have been witness to highly productive activities in the evolving fields of land-use capability analysis, regional landscape evaluation, ecologically based land-use planning and design, ecological management, and landscape reclamation. Major new capabilities and approaches have been developed that make possible intensive utilization of ecological insights and principles in addressing, in an integrative way, the relationship of human communities with their environment in the landscape of particular areas. The activities of leaders in several disciplines are discernible in this period of rapid evolution (Cocks and Austin, 1978; Steinitz et al., 1977; Vester, 1980; Whittaker, 1975; Walter, 1979; Whyte, 1976; Zonneveld, 1979; McHarg, 1969; Hills, 1976). Strides in developing methods and procedures that reflect a holistic viewpoint are evident in their work and writings. The interdisciplinary human ecosystem science of landscape ecology has increasingly contributed to research into, and planning and management of, our environment.