Sustainability assessment of road networks: A new perspective based on service ability and landscape connectivity

And the landscape connectivity used in this study not only reflects the effects of roads on ecological land but also recognizes important patches (whose landscape connectivity is high). According to the visible landscape connectivity changes, it's demonstrated that road is interrelated with landscape connectivity. Where the road is, there will be worse landscape fragmentation and connectivity, especially in the neighboring areas. As the results show that the obvious impacts variations of landscape connectivity are almost focused on the habitat adjacent to the roads. The study also demonstrates how the results of such an analysis vary with species traits (dispersal capabilities) and shows that the probability of connectivity which contributes to the overall landscape connectivity increases with larger dispersal distances. It is suggested that a reasonable scale should be considered when measuring these influences. Our study provides a useful diagnosis and helpful information for assessing the road networks. This analysis can be further applied to judge whether road construction is worthy enough so as to promote the sustainable development of road transportation by creating a balance between the service ability and the influence on the ecological system.