Indices and units

Description

Number of Patches―NP

NP > 1, without limit, NP = 1 when a landscape or class type contains one patch, number of patches corresponding to class type at a landscape.

Patch Density―PD

(Patches/100 ha)

Patches corresponding to the total forest cover divided by the total Area multiplied by 100. If forest class represents a greater PD, it indicates that it is subdivided into many patches and thus could be considered as fragmented.

Mean Patch Size―MPS (ha)

The average area of patches corresponding to the forest cover type. Greater MPS indicate slightly fragmented forests.

Interspersion Juxtaposition Index―IJI (%)

IJI ≥ 1 ≤ 100, IJI measures patch adjacency. IJI approaches 100 when all patch types are equally adjacent to each other.

Mean-Proximity Index-PROX_MN (m)

PROX_MN ≥ 0, PROX_MN = 0 if a patch has no neighbors of the same type at specific radius. Lower number of patches at a specified radius distance signifies the state of fragmentation.