LANDSCAPE PATTERN CHANGE AND ASSOCIATED ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS IN HAIHE RIVER BASIN, CHINA

摘要

Quantifying landscape pattern and its change is essential for the monitoring and assessment of ecological consequences of land use change and human interference. The changing characteristics of landscape structure in the Haihe River Basin (HRB), China, during 1990 to 2000 were detected by using satellite remote sensing based land use data. Key landscape indices were selected to characterize the landscape patterns. The results showed that from 1990 to 2000, the landscape within the study area has undertaken a complicated transformation in landscape structure and composition. A notable decrease in cropland mainly due to conversion to built-up land. Spatial distribution of different patches became more separated and the patch types became more disaggregated. Additionally, we found that both Shannon's diversity index and Shannon's evenness index increased during the periods, manifesting the landscapes in the study area became more fragmented and heterogeneous under intensive exploitation and reconstruction of landscape by human beings. The environmental effects of landscape change were also discussed.