Examination of the Kastamonu City Center Ring Road in Terms of Spatial Fragmentation

The holistic functioning of the green system is essential for the sustainability of living environments. Ring roads built to reduce density in urban transportation networks can create a barrier effect on urban habitats if not planned considering the landscape structure. This research examined connectivity relationships in the landscape structure of Kastamonu City Center through the “D-765 Ring Road Example.” The barrier effect of the highway and connectivity relationships are considered holistically. The city center, affected by the continental climate, is surrounded by black pine (Pinus nigra) forests. The ring road caused the division of forest units and prevented them from establishing relationships with habitats. This effect was associated with the habitat requirements of indicator species at three test points on the road route: Considering the degree of cover of the stands, CORINE land cover/land use classes were subjected to landscape metric analysis with the help of Fragstats software, and the fragmentation effect of the road at the landscape level was evaluated with the moving window module. In the landscape pattern analysis, the relationships of indicator species with other land use/cover classes in the area were revealed through landscape and class-level landscape metrics. It has been determined that the research area is dominated by Pinus nigra forests with three-degree canopy (Percentage of Landscape forest = 40%). Considering that these areas constitute habitats, especially for foxes, hedgehogs, deer, and roe deer species, it has been observed that they pose an obstacle to the mobility of these species. It has been concluded that the fragmenting effect of the ring road on urban forests negatively affects the mobility of indicator species and that solutions like wildlife crossings and green bridges must be developed to re-establish landscape connectivity.

Cite this article as: Bozbay, G. A., & Kaya, A. N. (2026). Examination of the Kastamonu city center ring road in terms of spatial fragmentation. Forestist, 76, 0056, doi:10.5152/forestist.2026.25056.