Combining different metrics to measure the ecological connectivity of two mangrove landscapes in the Municipality of Florianopolis, Southern Brazil

The mangrove landscapes of the Ratones River and Itacorubi, located in the Municipality of Florianopolis, South of Brazil, are environmentally fragmented due to anthropogenic use of the soil, which hinders the dispersal of their native species. For the maintenance of ecological connectivity, this paper aims to identify the most critical habitat fragments of both landscape mangroves and to restore its ecosystem benefits. However, different metrics of Graph Theory provide distinct results of connectivity. Thus, this work also proposes a novel method to combine various connectivity metrics in a concise measurement. All investigated metrics make use of probabilistic models related to the displacement of an endangered species (Lontra longicaudis) of the local fauna. After the identification of the most critical habitat fragments, they were analyzed, structurally and functionally, on the landscape. This study provides guidelines for environmental management for the most critical and maintenance of the least critical fragments.