Resumo:
Ideally, science should inform policy development in all areas of human endeavor. Nowhere is this truerthan in the case of human land use and our impact on the natural environment. Unfortunately, littlerecent science has percolated into policy guidelines for tropical forest management in areas facingserious threats. To help science inform policy we present six guidelines, which have been empiricallyproven important, for the management of fragmented landscapes: (1) incorporate protection measures as part of development projects; (2) protect large areas and prevent the fragmentation of currentlycontiguous large patches of forest; (3) manage forest edges when creating forest patches; (4) protectgallery forests along waterways to connect isolated forest patches; (5) control the use of fire and theintroduction of exotic plant species and limit the use of toxic chemicals in areas near forest patches;and (6) promote reforestation and forest cover in critical areas of landscapes. Straightforward linkagesbetween science and policy formulation can result in simple, yet powerful, changes in land-use patternsand have a concurrent positive effect on biodiversity and natural resources.
