The challenge to manage the biological integrity of nature reserves: a landscape ecology perspective

The New Jersey Pinelands Biosphere Reserve serves as an international model for regional land use planning within the framework of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB-UNESCO) Programme. To provide baseline information for future planning and management this study investigated the changes in landscape patterns in the Pinelands Reserve and its causes from 1972 to 1991. The general approach focuses on the role of land use as a factor causing change in the Pinelands landscape. The Pinelands has experienced a change in land cover and its structure due in part to fire suppression and anthropogenic disturbances. The methodology developed in this research can be applied to other regions of the world where it is necessary to evaluate the impact of human activities on natural resources.