Assessing forest area fragmentation potential in Bali, Nusa Tenggara and Maluku islands, Indonesia

Abstract

Abstract Forest fragmentation has emerged as an important driver of habitat loss and biodiversity degradation, but research on this topic has been limited, particularly in island areas. The aim of this study is to address this research gap by investigating forest fragmentation in the islands of Bali, Nusa Tenggara and Maluku. To identify the potential for forest fragmentation in these regions, Simmon’s Index was used. Land cover maps derived from the Sentinel-2 dataset for the period 2017-2022 were obtained from Google Earth Engine. They were combined with forest area maps to generate the fragmentation index. Our results show that Maluku has the highest fragmentation index with an average of 0.32. This is followed by East Nusa Tenggara with 0.31, North Maluku with 0.21, West Nusa Tenggara with 0.13 and Bali with 0.04. During the period 2017-2022, the average number of developed land, expressed in polygons, was 2533 in Maluku, and 3706, 1412, 1878, and 637 in East Nusa Tenggara, North Maluku, West Nusa Tenggara, and Bali, respectively. The development of a methodology to quantify the potential extent and drivers of forest fragmentation is essential to inform policy makers and guide strategies to protect forest areas and prevent further habitat loss.