Landscape ecology is a new subject in ecology characterized by two main approaches: a geographical one, which studies how man affects and manages landscapes; and an ecological one, which emphasizes the effects of spatial structure on ecological processes and the importance of these relationships for conservation purposes. The construction of a common theoretical foundation is a difficult task with the coexistence of different and conflicting notions and definitions from these two approaches. In the present work, I present a unified notion of landscape as "a heterogeneous mosaic composed by interactive landscape units, where heterogeneity exists for at least one parameter, one specific observer and at a particular scale". The heterogeneity is essentially interpreted through the "human eyes" in the geographical approach and through the "eyes" of other species or communities in the ecological perspective. The proposed landscape definition also shows that landscape does not necessarily correspond to broad spatial scales or a new biological level, just above the ecosystem. The scale and the biological level will be determined by the observer or the studied species. Landscape ecology is promoting a paradigm shift in fragmentation and biological conservation studies as far as it integrates the spatial heterogeneity and the concept of scale in the ecological analysis, transforming ecology in a more useful science for environmental problem solving.
Landscape ecology; landscape; heterogeneity; scale; conservation