Environ Monit Assess (2011) 174:157–170 DOI 10.1007/s10661-010-1447-y Establishing ecological networks for habitat conservation in the case of Çe¸ sme–Urla Peninsula, Turkey Çi˘ gdem Co¸ skun Hepcan · Mehmet Bülent Özkan Received: 26 November 2009 / Accepted: 6 April 2010 / Published online: 12 May 2010 © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010 Abstract The study involves the Çe¸ sme–Urla Peninsula, where habitat fragmentation and loss, which threaten biological diversity, have become an urgent matter of concern in recent decades. The study area has been subjected to anthro- pogenic pressures and alterations due to ongoing and impending land uses. Therefore, ecological networks, as an appropriate way to deal with habi- tat fragmentation and loss and to improve ecolog- ical quality, were identified in the study area as one of the early attempts in the country to main- tain its rich biodiversity. In this sense, core areas and ecological linkages as primary components of ecological networks were established on the basis of sustaining natural habitats. A GIS-based model was created to identify core areas and to facilitate the ecological connectivity. The modeling process for core areas and corridors combined 14 and 21 different variables, respectively. The variables were used as environmental inputs in the model, and all analyses were materialized in ArcGIS 9.2 using grid functions of image analysis and spa- Ç. C. Hepcan (B ) · M. B. Özkan Department of Landscape Architecture Faculty of Agriculture, Ege University, 35100 Bornova Izmir, Turkey e-mail: cigdemcn@hotmail.com M. B. Özkan e-mail: mehmet.bulent.ozkan@ege.edu.tr tial analyst modules. As a result, six core areas and 36 corridor alternatives were materialized. Furthermore, some recommendations for the im- plementation and management of the proposed ecological networks were revealed and discussed. Keywords Ecological networks · Core areas · Spatial linkages · Çe¸ sme–Urla Peninsula Introduction Fragmentation and loss of natural landscapes and habitats are primary pressures and threats to biodiversity (Forman 1998; Cook 2002; Bennett 2003; Jongman 2004; Hellmund and Smith 2006; Opdam and Wascher 2004). Thus, fragmentation and loss of natural habitats and their implications for the conservation of flora and fauna are of global significance (Bennett 2003). Fragmentation that is caused by both human activities and dy- namic natural processes (Hobbs et al. 2007) results in smaller and isolated habitats (Bennett 2003), a situation that is not suitable for sustainable con- servation of biodiversity in many ways (Jongman 2004; Bennett 2004), such as loss of species in fragments, changes in the composition of faunal assemblages, and changes in ecological processes that involve animals (Bennett 2003). Most con- servation reserves, even large ones, are becoming increasingly surrounded by intensively modified