Methodological approach Landscape Ecology: origin, approach and analysis techniques

Abstract

The present work aims to describe the origin and development of the methodological approach called Landscape Ecology and the role of the landscape in the development of studies focusing on the interaction between society and nature. Unlike traditional Ecology, which has the central focus of analysis in the study of vertical interrelationships between ecosystems, Landscape Ecology focuses on the study of horizontal interrelationships between the various spatial units and the vertical relationships internal to these units. For the development of this work, bibliographic research was carried out, followed by the reading and analysis of the main references on the theme. Thus, it was possible to identify the origin and systematize the historical evolution of this approach within the sciences as a whole, in addition to understanding its close relationship with Geographic Science. In this process, the importance of the landscape and its metrics was also visualized in the investigation of the complex relationship between man and nature, and as a support for environmental management and planning. Thus, understood as a holistic approach, Landscape Ecology, whose object is to study the patterns and interactions of the landscape and its changes over time, considers both natural landscapes and landscapes built by man. As it is a relatively new area of ​​knowledge, it requires more studies, which allow the improvement of existing landscape investigation techniques, especially when the emphasis is on the degree of interaction and connectivity of the elements that compose it.