Landscape pattern and habitat quality in buffer areas of Mt. Banahaw – San Cristobal protected landscape, Philippines

Buffer zones are crucial for sustaining Protected Areas as they serve as frontlines against threats from agricultural expansion, forest fragmentation, urban sprawl, and other human-induced disturbances. Their ability to support PAs as ecological filters and aid for wildlife conservation depends on their suitability for the habitat. Unfortunately, buffer areas are rarely studied. This study assesses the influence of changes in land cover on landscape patterns and habitat quality in 2km and 5km buffer areas of the Mts. Banahaw – San Cristobal Protected Landscape. Open-source land-cover data were used to determine changes in landscape pattern using FRAGSTATS 4.2 and habitat quality using the InVEST model. Results showed that forest remains the dominant land cover in the 2km and 5km buffer areas while urban areas grow at the expense of deforestation following a forest ? crop ? urban pathway. Landscape metrics indicated fragmentation and perforations of forest matrices while urban areas expand and coalesce to larger patches. This led to a steady increase in low-quality but a substantial decline in moderate- and high-quality habitat. Two-way ANOVA revealed significant effects of buffer distance (F1,29994 = 45.77, p < 0.001) on habitat quality. These emphasize the need for sustainable land-use planning to address forest and habitat degradation to maintain ecological integrity and the protective role of the buffer zone.