Placing exurban land use change in a human modification framework

In press: Frontiers in Ecology and Environment In a nutshell:-An encouraging trend is ecological research conducted along the urban-rural gradient.-But, clear definitions and quantitative metrics are needed to place research more precisely within the landscape context.-Ecologists should measure the degree of human modification by metrics that capture important ecological processes and land use/cover patterns.-Better understanding of the ecological consequences of exurban land use dynamics is a critical need because at this interface development encroaches on " protected " lands. Abstract Emerging research on human-modified ecosystems can better inform land use planning by integrating understanding from ecological and social science. In particular, low-density, exurban land use beyond the urban fringe has been poorly defined and under studied. The human modification framework is developed here that characterizes landscapes by the degree to which natural processes are free or controlled and landscape patterns are natural or artificial. Ecologists are encouraged to explicitly place their research within such a framework using quantitative metrics. As society's concern grows over ecological degradation and loss of biodiversity, ecologists should recognize that research on human-modified landscapes, particularly beyond the urban fringe, is not just an unexploited opportunity, but is critical to protecting biodiversity on private land.