Allocation of Land at the Rural-urban Fringe Using a Spatially-realistic Ecosystem Constraint

may make verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial purposes by any means, provided that this copyright notice appears on all such copies. 1 INTRODUCTION Development in rural-urban fringe communities is increasing with the potential to damage healthy ecosystems and endanger the long-term persistence of resident flora and fauna Environmental impacts of development include loss, degradation, and fragmentation of wildlife habitat, increased air and water pollution, increased soil erosion, and decreased aesthetic appeal of the landscape (Johnson 2001). Roads, in particular, have a dramatic impact on wildlife by blocking migration routes, making habitat near roads unacceptable due to noise and pollution and road kills from passing traffic (Forman and Deblinger 2000; Haskell 2000; Romin and Bissonette 1996; Trombulak and Frissell 2000). Habitat loss and fragmentation is thought to be one of the primary causes of species extinction today, and is considered a research priority for conservation biologists (Davies, Gascon, and Margules 2001).