LAND USE ALONG A TROPICAL CLIMATIC BOUNDARY: THE WALAWE GANGA BASIN OF CEYLON.

摘要

The Walawe Ganga Basin of southern Ceylon,lying partly in the dry and wet zones,is an area which has been earmarked for large scale development and for settlement of population from the more crowded portions of the wet zone of the Island. It is generally recognized that the wet zone-dry zone boundary passes through this basin. None of the accepted criteria for the delineation of this boundary agree as to its location in the basin. A major purpose of this study is to show the exact location of the boundary as determined by observations of land use and vegetation types on aerial photographs and in the field. The relationship and influence on the location of the boundary of topography,relief,quantity,and seasonal distribution of rainfall are also examined. A study of the history of land use in the basin over the past 2500years indicates previous responses to the physical environment of the basin. (Author)