The Impacts of Fragmenting Riparian Habitat
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Next to river
and streams, riparian ecosystems are a connected network of habitats
throughout the landscape allowing wildlife species to 'commute'
between their breeding and feeding areas in the summer, move
to different areas when their homes become crowded, or migrate
to warmer areas in the winter. The high variety of herb, shrub,
and tree species means there is a lot of food (insects and berries),
places to hide from predators, and sites to build nests/dens
in. However, not all riparian habitat is created equal.
Wider bands of
riparian habitat generally have more wildlife riparian dependent
species than narrow bands of habitat. Many of these specialist
wildlife species will only live in riparian habitat next to larger
patches of forest. When agricultural and urban areas are developed
next to narrow bands of riparian habitat, the natural  |
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ecosystem becomes fragmented. Fragmentation
makes it easier for introduced and generalist wildlife species
to infiltrate, increasing the numbers of predators, parasites,
competitors, and humans. It is harder to find food and safe breeding
sites, and it is difficult to move between sites when you do
not like to travel over open spaces. The inevitable result is
the decline in the number of species that are riparian dependent.