Habitat fragmentation occurs when a large habitat is broken into smaller, separated pieces. These pieces may be divided by roads, cities, or farmland. Fragmentation changes how ecosystems are arranged.

A forest that once stretched across a region may become divided into smaller patches with roads or buildings in between. Animals living in these areas may become separated from other groups of the same species. Scientists study the size and distance between these habitat patches.

Habitat fragmentation is part of conservation science. It is used to understand changes in ecosystems and species distribution.