Changing Landscapes in Xishuangbanna

The warm and wet Xishuangbanna is the only oasis on the desert belt on the Tropic of Cancer. Here is a sea of forests, one of the most beautiful forest areas in China. Growing here are more than 5,000 species of plants of higher order, including 341 rare species. Inhabiting in the forests are many rare wild animals, among them 109 have been listed for state protection. It is really worth the name＇, as the ＂Kingdom of Plants and Animals,＂

Visualization of Landscape Changes in a 3D Environment Using the Storytelling Approach—The Example of the City of Pristina

This study proposes a detailed concept of how landscape changes can be transferred and communicated in a 3D environment using the storytelling approach. In 2018, Mocnik and Fairbairn argued that maps are good for representing a geographic space but texts have a better benefit than maps for telling a story [1]. A framework is presented on how a landscape change can be retrieved out of textual descriptions. A prototype of a 3D model with a projection on top of it was developed. The case study tells the story of the landscape change in the city of Pristina. The key element of the visualization is a timeline. Several media like cadastral maps, orthophotos, texts, graphics, and background sound are used and combined in an animated light show and the visualization was evaluated within a user study.

Landscape pattern change in the upper valley of Min River

The upper valley of Min River (102° 59′ –104° 14′ E, 31° 26′ – 33° 16′ N), which is consisted of the counties Wenchuan, Maoxian, Lixian, Heishui, and Songpan, refers to the part up to Dujiangyan City, and locates on the transition zone from the Tibetan Plateau to the Si- chuan Basin. It is one of the most important forest areas in China, especially in Sichuan Province. Over past two decades, the landscape changed remarkably in the region. The 3S techniques (Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information System (GIS) and Global Position System (GPS)) were used to classify the images and analyze the landscape change. The remotely sensed data of Landsat TM 1986 and Landsat ETM+ 2000 were used to analyze the landscape change of the region. The landscape were classified into 10 types of cropland, for- est, shrub land, economic forest, grassland, build up land, river, lake, swamp, and unused land. The results showed that: 1) the woodland and grassland were dominating landscape types in the upper valley of Min River, which is more than 91% of the study area; 2) the alteration of the landscape was mainly happened among forest, shrub land, grassland, economic forest, cropland, and build up land, where forest de- creased from 51.17% to 47.56%; 3) the landscape fragmentation in the upper valley of Min River was aggravated from 1986 to 2000.

Regional agricultural landscape pattern changes along the Yellow River in Henan Province from 1987 to 2002

Agricultural landscape along the riparian zones is designated as important landscape components for partly controlling water quality, biodiversity, as well as for their aesthetic role in landscapes. Therefore, the change of agricultural landscape along the riparian zones is at the top of the agenda for many policy makers and landscape planners. As a basis for conservation management, sufficient information about landscape structure should be provided. In the present study, we reconstructed the former landscape structure and elucidated the changes in landscape patterns during a period of about 15 years. Two sets of maps were used： a landsat-5 TM image （1987） and landsat-7 ETM image （2002）. The frequency index, landscape diversity index and landscape fragmentation index were calculated for analyses. The results showed that： （1） the areas of the irrigated land, river, forest and beach landscape classes presented a decreasing trend while the areas of landscape classes of pool, paddy fields, dry land and construction land increased. （2） Disturbed by human activity, landscape diversity index increased but landscape fragmentation index decreased. In short, Human activities have had important influences on agricultural landscape of the riparian zones along the Yellow River in Henan Province.

Landscape Changes in Wenchuan ——A Mountainous County in Sichuan, China

Based on the collection of land use maps of three representative years (1972,1986 and 1995) with a scale of 1 : 100 000, which were derived from interpreted aerial photographsand field surveys , landscape pattern were studied in Wenchuan County of Aba Prefecture, northwestof Sichuan Province, China. Six land use categories were classified according to the actuality ofthe study area and digitized by manual with the assistance of Geographic Information System (GIS).Landscape spatial and temporal changes were analyzed quanti-ficationally by a series of structure,shape, pattern indices, which indicated that grassland dominates in number of patch while bothgrassland and shrub-land dominate in total area of patch over time. During the last 23 years, thefractal dimension of grassland and shrub-land were decreased while the other types were increased.Highest dominance and fragmentation and lowest diversity characterized the landscape of 1972. In1986, the landscape pattern had the highest diversity and lowest dominance and fragmentation, whichis contrary to the pattern in 1972. Slight change of diversity, dominance and fragmentation has beendisplayed from 1986 to 1995.

Driving factors of forest landscape change in Yiluo River basin

The expansion of agriculture is posited as one of the main dynamics of forest landscape change globally, and the robust modeling of these processes is important for policy as well as academic concern. This paper concerns a relatively small area of Yiluo River catchment where considerable attention has been paid to slow down the process of the expansion of agriculture into the remaining natural forests. In the present study, we reconstructed the former forest landscape structure and elucidated the landscape change during a period of about 15 years. Three sets （1987, 1996 and 2002） of maps derived from Landsat-5 images were used for analyses. The result showed that there was a decrease in the area of the forest landscape from 995.60 km2 in 1987 to 650.50 km2 in 2002. Then we examined the degree to which forest landscape conversion could be attributed to a set of factors identified as significant at broader scales, namely topography, distribution of the village clusters （centroids）, distance from villages （centroids）, and distance from forest edge （1987）. By using ＂spatial analysis＂ in Arc/gis 8.3, the correlation between forest landscape change and driving factors was constructed. This study found that forest landscape conversion in this region was largely explained by elevation, slope and proximity to village.

How to Heat a Planet? Impact of Anthropogenic Landscapes on Earth’s Albedo and Temperature

Today anthropogenic climate change is underway and predicted future global temperatures vary significantly. However, the drivers of current climate change and their links to Earth’s natural glacial cycle have yet to be fully resolved. Currently, many on a local level understand, and are exposed to, the heat energy generated by what’s referred to as the urban heat island effect (UHI), whereby natural flora with higher albedos is replaced by manmade urban areas with lower albedos. This heat effect is not constrained to these regions and all anthropogenic surfaces with lower albedos need to be studied and quantified as the accumulated additional heat energy (infrared energy) is trapped within Earth’s atmosphere and could affect the Earth on a planetary level. Deployed satellites have detected critical changes to Earth’s albedo to lower levels, however the cause and impact of these changes have yet to be fully understood and incorporated into Global Circulation models (GCMs). Here it’s shown that industrialization of anthropogenic landscape practices of the past century has displaced millions of square kilometres of naturally high albedo grasslands with lower albedo agricultural landscapes. Utilising a fundamental Energy Balance Model, (EBM) it’s demonstrated these specific changes have generated vast amounts of additional heat energy which is trapped by the atmosphere, transferred and stored within the oceans of the Earth as shown in Figure 1. The total additional heat energy accumulated over the preceding 110 years correlates to that required to warm the Earth to the levels seen to date, altering Earth’s overall energy budget. This energy will continue to accumulate and warm the Earth to a predicted 1.60 ± 0.20 Celsius by 2050 over 1910 levels. These findings are independent of anthropogenic Greenhouse Gas (GHG) additions and are further validated by predicting Earth’s temperature and albedo at the last glacial maxima, suggesting that an albedo cycle aligned to Gaia theory is the primary driver of Earth’s natural climate cycle.

Modeled Surface Observations for Spatial Analysis of Landscape Dynamics

Landscape dynamics is a geoecological characteristic that defines changes in a landscape spatial structure and function during an established time scale. In this kind of analysis, geoprocessing is an essential tool, because it combines several technologies that help in this work. However, the majority of landscape dynamic investigations do not consider the dimensionality of the data and the information to be used, which is projected not measured from modeled (real) surface observations, and presents underestimated results, mainly in irregular relief landscapes. Considering that, this paper intends to assess the difference between observations on modeled and planimetric surfaces on the interpretation of landscape dynamics. The study was conducted in the massif of Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) using land use and soil cover maps of different times and a digital elevation models (DEM) generated based on a triangular irregular. The results show an increase of dynamic areas values when observations were carried out on modeled surface, as well as the deforestation rate (17.57% or 0.13 km2/year). This survey showed higher values in comparison with observations on planimetric surface, characterizing more realistic interpretations of how the structural elements and analyses made from these are structured in the landscape.

Development of a large-scale remote sensing ecological index in arid areas and its application in the Aral Sea Basin

The Aral Sea Basin in Central Asia is an important geographical environment unit in the center of Eurasia.It is of great significance to the ecological protection and sustainable development of Central Asia to carry out dynamic monitoring and effective evaluation of the eco-environmental quality of the Aral Sea Basin.In this study,the arid remote sensing ecological index(ARSEI)for large-scale arid areas was developed,which coupled the information of the greenness index,the salinity index,the humidity index,the heat index,and the land degradation index of arid areas.The ARSEI was used to monitor and evaluate the eco-environmental quality of the Aral Sea Basin from 2000 to 2019.The results show that the greenness index,the humidity index and the land degradation index had a positive impact on the quality of the ecological environment in the Aral Sea Basin,while the salinity index and the heat index exerted a negative impact on the quality of the ecological environment.The eco-environmental quality of the Aral Sea Basin demonstrated a trend of initial improvement,followed by deterioration,and finally further improvement.The spatial variation of these changes was significant.From 2000 to 2019,grassland and wasteland(saline alkali land and sandy land)in the central and western parts of the basin had the worst ecological environment quality.The areas with poor ecological environment quality are mainly distributed in rivers,wetlands,and cultivated land around lakes.During the period from 2000 to 2019,except for the surrounding areas of the Aral Sea,the ecological environment quality in other areas of the Aral Sea Basin has been improved in general.The correlation coefficients between the change in the eco-environmental quality and the heat index and between the change in the eco-environmental quality and the humidity index were–0.593 and 0.524,respectively.Climate conditions and human activities have led to different combinations of heat and humidity changes in the eco-environmental quality of the Aral Sea Basin.However,human activities had a greater impact.The ARSEI can quantitatively and intuitively reflect the scale and causes of large-scale and long-time period changes of the eco-environmental quality in arid areas;it is very suitable for the study of the eco-environmental quality in arid areas.

The spatial-temporal dynamic characteristics of the marsh in the Sanjiang Plain

Using the methods of combining landscape ecology with GIS spatial analysis, this paper analyses the dynamics of the marsh landscape structure of the Sanjiang Plain in the past 20 years, furthermore, taking Fujin County, located in the north of the plain, as an example, analyzes the conversion between marsh and other land use types. It is shown that the marsh in the Sanjiang Plain decreased greatly in the past 20 years, but the trend has begun to reverse. The marsh area decreased by 51.33% from 1980 to 1996, whereas it decreased by 4.19% from 1996 to 2000. The fragmentation of the marsh increased; the number of the patches increased by 326 from 1986 to 1996, whereas it only increased by 18 patches from 1996 to 2000. It is obvious that the speed of patches number diminished and the marsh fragmentation decreased, which shows that the reclamation of the marsh converted from the fragmentation to the brim in a large area of the marsh. The reclaimed marsh has mainly converted to paddy field and dry land. Large-scale reclamation in the Sanjiang Plain influences its natural environment directly: the climate of the region turns from cold and wet to warm and dry, which makes the marsh both in the low-temperature northern part and in the deeply stagnant eastern part suitable for further agricultural development.

Assessment of multifunctional landscapes dynamics in the mountainous basin of the Mo River （Togo, West Africa）

In this study, historical landscape dynamics were investigated to（i） map the land use/cover types for the years 1972, 1987, 2000 and 2014;（ii） determine the types and processes of landscape dynamics; and（iii） assess the landscape fragmentation and habitat loss over time. Supervised classification of multi-temporal Landsat images was used through a pixel-based approach. Post–classification methods included systematic and random change detection, trajectories analysis and landscape fragmentation assessment. The overall accuracies（and Kappa statistics） were of 68.86%（0.63）, 91.32%（0.79）, 90.66%（0.88） and 91.88%（0.89） for 1972, 1987, 2000 and 2014, respectively. The spatio-temporal analyses indicated that forests, woodlands and savannahs dominated the landscapes during the four dates, though constant areal decreases were observed. The most important dynamic process was the decline of woodlands with an average annual net loss rate of –2%. Meanwhile, the most important land transformation occurred during the transition 2000–2014, due to anthropogenic pressures. Though the most important loss of vegetation greenness occurred in the unprotected areas, the overall analyses of change indicated a declining trend of land cover quality and an increasing landscape fragmentation. Sustainable conservation strategies should be promoted while focusing restoration attention on degraded lands and fragmented ecosystems in order to support rural livelihood and biodiversity conservation.

Using occupancy models to determine mammalian responses to landscape changes

Determining impacts of anthropogenic landscape changes on wildlife populations is difficult.Besides the challengesDetermining impacts of anthropogenic landscape changes on wildlife populations is difficult.Besides the challenges of designing field studies to document conditions before and after landscape changes occur,assessment of popula-of designing field studies to document conditions before and after landscape changes occur,assessment of popula-tion responses(e.g.changes in population density)often provide poor inference because of sampling limitations.tion responses(e.g.changes in population density)often provide poor inference because of sampling limitations.Estimation of occupancy,however,only requires data on detection or non-detection of a species and might provideEstimation of occupancy,however,only requires data on detection or non-detection of a species and might provide better inference.To demonstrate the utility of occupancy models,we used data from an American black bear(Ursusbetter inference.To demonstrate the utility of occupancy models,we used data from an American black bear(Ursus americanus Pallas)population in North Carolina,USA to test our research hypothesis that documented declines inamericanus Pallas)population in North Carolina,USA to test our research hypothesis that documented declines in site occupancy of black bears would be greater near a new four-lane highway.We used multi-season occupancysite occupancy of black bears would be greater near a new four-lane highway.We used multi-season occupancy models to estimate site occupancy based on bear visitation to survey sites before and after completion of the newmodels to estimate site occupancy based on bear visitation to survey sites before and after completion of the new highway and as a function of distance to the highway.Site occupancy declined from 0.81 to 0.35 between the twohighway and as a function of distance to the highway.Site occupancy declined from 0.81 to 0.35 between the two study phases,but was not a function of distance to the highway.Therefore,the impact of the new highway onstudy phases,but was not a function of distance to the highway.Therefore,the impact of the new highway on occupancy extended to the entire study area.Our case study demonstrates that occupancy models can provideoccupancy extended to the entire study area.Our case study demonstrates that occupancy models can provide powerful inference regarding the potential impacts of landscape changes on species occupancy.As urban areas andpowerful inference regarding the potential impacts of landscape changes on species occupancy.As urban areas and transportation infrastructure are rapidly expanding in developing regions of the world,the need to determine howtransportation infrastructure are rapidly expanding in developing regions of the world,the need to determine how these changes affect mammal populations and how they might be mitigated increases accordingly.Because fieldthese changes affect mammal populations and how they might be mitigated increases accordingly.Because field sampling for occupancy models only requires detection data,surveys can be conducted for extensive geographicsampling for occupancy models only requires detection data,surveys can be conducted for extensive geographic areas,thus making these surveys particularly applicable to studies of large mammals.areas,thus making these surveys particularly applicable to studies of large mammals.

Assessing the evolution of oases in arid regions by reconstructing their historic spatio-temporal distribution： a case study of the Heihe River Basin, China

Oasis evolution, one of the most obvious surface processes in arid regions, affects various aspects of the regional environment, such as hydrological processes, ecological conditions, and microclimates. In this paper, the historical spatio-temporal evolution of the cultivated oases in the Heihe River Basin, the second largest inland watershed in the northwest of China, was assessed using multidisciplinary methods and data from multiple sources, including historical literature, ancient sites, maps and remotely sensed images. The findings show that cultivated oases were first developed on a large scale during the Han Dynasty （121 BC-220） and then gradually decreased in extent from the Six Dynasties period （220-581） to the Sui- Tang period （581-907）, reaching a minimum in the Song- Yuan period （960-1368）. An abrupt revival occurred during the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644） and continued through the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）, and during the period of the Republic of China （1912-1949）, oasis development reached its greatest peak of the entire historical period. The oasis areas during seven major historical periods, i.e., Hart, Six Dynasties, Sui-Tang, Song-Yuan, Ming, Qing, and Republic of China, are estimated to have been 1703 kma, 1115 km2, 629 km2, 614 km2, 964 km2, 1205 km2, and 1917 km2, respectively. The spatial distribution generally exhibited a continuous sprawl process, with the center of the oases moving gradually from the downstream region to the middle and even upstream regions. The oases along the main river remained stable during most periods, whereas those close to the terminal reaches were subject to frequent variations and even abandonment. Socio-economic factors were the main forces driving the evolution of cultivated oases in the area; among them, political and societal stability, national defense, agricultural policy, population, and technological progress were the most important.

人类活动对港湾岸线及景观变迁影响的比较研究——以中国象山港与美国坦帕湾为例（英文）

Using multitemporal Landsat TM/OLI images at a 10-year interval, in this study, we （1） extracted information of spatial location, length, and sinuosity of coastline and landscape configuration, diversity and fragmentation in the bay areas of Xiangshan Bay （XB）, China and Tampa Bay （TB）, USA from 1985 to 2015; （2） constructed indices of artificial coastlines and human disturbance on bay area landscapes; and （3） explored and discussed the impacts of human activities on changes of coastlines and landscape types in the two bay areas. Our analysis results demonstrate the following five points. （1） During the past 30 years, the lengths of natural coastline in XB and TB shrank, while the lengths of their artificial coastline increased first and then maintained stable. Since there were different influences of human activities on coastlines and landscape types between the two bay areas, XB experienced dramatic changes in parts of coastline geomorphologies and continuous decrease of coastline sinuosity, while, in TB, there was a little change in coastline geomorphologies and its coastline sinuosity was almost unchanged. （2） The intensity of human activities in XB was continuously enhanced from 1985 to 1995, and then the degree of enhancement had slowed down after 1995. However, in the time period, the impacted extent of human activities gradually increased and finally covered almost entire coastlines in XB. In TB area, although the intensity of human activities was enhanced, the degree of enhancement slowed down from 1985 to 2015 and the impacted areas of human activates were concentrated in several coastal city areas. （3） The average area of landscape patches strongly disturbed by human activities in both XB and TB generally showed a trend of decreasing from 1985 to 2005. However, during the period of 2005 to 2015, the average patch area of landscapes disturbed by different degrees of human activities in XB changed differently, while in TB it almost did not change. （4） From 1985 to 2005, the indices of landscape diversity in various areas of human disturbance in XB gradually increased, while in TB, changes in indices of the landscape diversity varied. From 2005 to 2015, the changes in the intensity of human disturbance in both bay areas were from weak to strong, whereas the indices of landscape diversity in XB and TB increased first and then decreased. （5） The landscape fragmentation index in different human disturbance areas in both XB and TB gradually increased from 1985 to 2005, while from 2005 to 2015, in both bay areas, the landscape fragmentation index presented a decreasing trend.

居民对乡村地区城市化景观偏好揭示了“自然性-宜居性”对比关系的重要性

Urbanization has caused significant landscape changes in rural areas,leading to the emergence of urbanized landscapes(ULs),which have been generally criticized by authorities and professionals.However,perceptions of ULs among local residents have rarely been studied.In this study,we chose five typical categories of ULs from rapidly transforming villages in Fujian Province,China–hardened water bank(HWB),big pavilion(BPA),big memorial arch(BMA),big ornamental lawn(BOL),and big square(BSQ)to do the study.We identified how these ULs were rated and ranked by on-site surveys,as well as how related aesthetic and multifunctional landscape characters(LCs)played a role.The results(N=550)showed that 1)residents supported the construction of ULs,and the most preferred category was that with the most natural elements(BOL)that was simultaneously well maintained.2)For the residents,the longer they had resided in the village and the fewer connections they had with the city,the more in favor they were of the ULs,and the more eager they were for landscape change.In addition,residents with higher education and Communist Party of China membership valued the naturalness related LCs more highly.3)Two contradictory preference features,naturalness and livability,should be well coordinated and balanced to construct an improved favorable village for the residents,to realize a balanced and sustainable development path.This study makes great theoretical contributions to landscape research and provides new insights into rural planning and construction.

Changes and drivers of afro-alpine forest ecosystem: future trajectories and management strategies in Bale eco-region, Ethiopia

Introduction:Ecosystem change and respective conservation needs were at top priority areas in the globe especially at biodiversity hotspot zones and places of endemism like Bale eco-region.In this aspect,this study had tried to assess historical landscape changes of afro-alpine forest ecosystem with its respective driving forces and effectiveness of different institutional arrangements to protect this ecosystem.Methods:The study utilized satellite imagery from Landsat series starting from 1986 to 2016,ground truth data from GPS-based field survey,focus group discussions,and reconnaissance field survey.Historical landscape maps were prepared with a mix of supervised and unsupervised image classification methods.Future landscape change simulation was undertaken by using cellular automata modeling on Dynamic Environment for Geoprocessing Objects(Dinamica EGO)software.Beyond areal change and transition of landscape elements,level of ecosystem fragmentation was assessed with FRAGSTAT software.Results:Results have shown that there is encroachment of human-induced land use patterns especially agriculture and grazing while closed canopy forest and woodland ecosystems have decreased in their extent.Simulation outputs for the coming three decades have also shown similar patterns with historical trends.Beyond changes in areal extent,landscape matrix analysis results indicated that there is increasing class and landscape level fragmentation both in its historical and future probable likelihoods.Effectiveness of different management strategies at different institutional arrangement were differ in their effectiveness that federal and regional government were not able to curve landscape change.Conclusions:In conclusion,increasing population pressure and weak policy implementation and legal enforcement has caused threats for alpine forest ecosystem in Bale eco-region.Except participatory forest management,management strategies at different institutional arrangements were failed to conserve forest.These calls reinnovated participatory forest management strategies that base community participation while simultaneously keeps livelihoods demands of local community.

The impacts of land-use and land-cover change on wetland ecosystem service values in peri-urban and urban area of Bahir Dar City, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Northwestern Ethiopia

Background:Even though wetlands are essential in enhancing water quality and providing recreation and entertainment opportunities in urban areas,their values are overlooked by the decision-makers.Underestimation of the economic value of wetland ecosystem services contributes to their continuing deterioration and inevitable loss.Investigating the changes in ecosystem service values(ESV)can provide crucial information for decision-making.This study,therefore,analyzes the temporal and spatial land-use/land-cover(LULC)change patterns over 35 years(1984–2019)intending to evaluate its impact on wetland ecosystem service values in Bahir Dar City,Ethiopia.Estimation and change analyses of ESVs were conducted by employing ArcGIS using LULC inputs of the year 1984,1994,2004,2014,and 2019 with their corresponding global value coefficients that were developed earlier and our own modified value coefficients for the studied landscape.Results:The results showed that wetlands and water bodies of the city and its peripheries had decreased by 75.71%(−1618 ha)within 35 years,while built-up area increased by 216.24%(+2599 ha).Cultivated land had increased slightly from 1984 to 1994 and then gradually declined since 1994.Changes in LULC had resulted in a decline of the total ESV.The total ESV had decreased from USD 29.73×10^(6) to USD 20.84×10^(6) in 35 years.This indicates the loss of nearly USD 8.9×10^(6) ESV from 1984 to 2019.A sensitivity analysis suggested the robustness of ESV estimation in the study area.All individual ecosystem services experienced a negative change.However,a greater reduction in ESV was observed for services such as water regulation,waste treatment,and habitats for maintaining biodiversity.The expansion of built-up area of Bahir Dar City was the major factor that contributed to the loss of ESV provided by wetlands.Conclusions:The loss of ESV resulting in LULC changes has a negative implication on local climate,waste management,and the livelihoods of the poor community.Thus,interventions should be made for the restoration and sustainable management of wetlands in the urban and peri-urban areas of Bahir Dar City.

Breeding versus survival:proximate causes of abrupt population decline under environmental change in a desert rodent,the midday gerbil(Meriones meridianus)

Studying abrupt ecological shifts under gradual environmental change caused,in particular,by human activi­ty is important for understanding the fundamental aspects and underlying mechanisms of ecological resilience.One of the rare well-documented examples of an abrupt ecological shift is the delayed step transition of the population of a desert rodent,the midday gerbil(Meriones meridianus),from high-abundance(1994-2002)to low-abundance(2003-2017)regimes.This was in response to landscape transformation from desert to steppe caused by the drastic reduction of livestock in the rangelands of southern Russia after the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s.In this study,we tested whether demographic parameters were correlated with the observed abrupt downward population shift.We found that reproductive activity(the percentage of breeding females,the number of litters,fecundity and the number of young recruited per female)showed no trend over time and did not differ between periods of high and low abundance.In contrast,the adult sex ratio(SR=males:females)de­creased significantly with time and was as much as twice more female-biased for the low-abundance population regime.However,SR was not related to any reproductive parameter,including the percentage of breeding fe­males.We conclude that proximate reasons for an abrupt population decline in M.meridianus are not associat­ed with the changes in breeding patterns or mate limitation caused by the Allee effect but relate to the increased mortality as a result of the desert landscape being fragmented by steppezation.The mortality is expected to be higher for males as the mobile and dispersing sex.