... forest remnants dispersed as small patches surrounded by open fields. The vast majority of fragments are restricted to under 100ha. Due to the scale of deforestation, such as that occurring in the coastal forests of Brazil, a considerable amount of research has been undertaken, to try to understand or predict the likely effects of fragmentation. A number of predictions of the biological and physical effects of fragmentation were made by Bierregard et. al. (1992). These included that population sizes would be reduced (with harmful genetic consequences), species requiring large home ranges would not survive in small fragments and that some species would be completely lost if not already present in fragmented areas. Bierregard et. al. (1992) looked at MacArthur and Wilson's (1967) Theory of Island Biogeography in the context of a tropical rainforest rather than lands surrounded by water and suggested whilst the theory can explain the rudimentary effects of fragmentation, such ...

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