Can the dynamics of forest restoration reduce landscape fragmentation in the Atlantic forest?

This study examines the landscape changes in two forest restoration areas: one adjacent to remaining forest fragments (AA) and the other non-adjacent (ANA), located in the municipality of Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Pernambuco, Brazil. The areas have been previously used for sugarcane cultivation and have undergone restoration interventions involving planting over 30 native species. The satellite images used were from 2011, 2015, and 2019, allowing for the analysis of changes in vegetation cover and landscape fragmentation. The results indicate that both areas experienced an increase in vegetation cover over time, as evidenced by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). However, adjacent to forest fragments, the AA area exhibited greater ecological connectivity and less fragmentation, resulting in a large forest fragment from 2015 onwards. On the other hand, the non-adjacent ANA area showed slower progress but managed to form a large fragment by 2019, thanks to the presence of planted species such as Mimosa caesalpiniifolia. Moreover, the analysis of fragmentation metrics revealed a reduction in the division index in both areas, which was more pronounced in AA. The supervised classification of the images indicated changes in the restoration areas and their surroundings, with the expansion of classes such as Forest and Exposed. The results highlight the importance of functional connectivity between forest fragments, especially in areas adjacent to remaining fragments, which can accelerate the restoration process and reduce fragmentation. Active restoration, through planting high-density native species, proved effective in rehabilitating forest cover. This study suggests that forest restoration in anthropized areas can mitigate fragmentation, with effects observable in less than a decade, particularly when connecting existing fragments. These findings underscore the importance of implementing restoration strategies that foster connectivity between forest fragments and of continuously monitoring fragmentation metrics to evaluate the efficacy of restoration actions.