PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2015, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (7): 840-853.doi: 10.18306/dlkxjz.2015.07.006

• Land Use • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Land use/land cover change in the grassland restoration program areas in China, 2000-2010

Haiyan ZHANG1,2, Jiangwen FAN1,*(), Quanqin SHAO1   

  1. 1. Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2015-03-01 Revised:2015-05-01 Online:2015-07-10 Published:2015-07-10
  • Contact: Jiangwen FAN E-mail:fanjw@igsnrr.ac.cn

Abstract:

Using the 3S (RS, GIS, GPS) technologies, quantitative analysis method of landscape patterns, and the 30 m resolution land use/land cover data, this study examines the spatiotemporal characteristics of land use/land cover change in the grassland restoration areas in China from 2000 to 2010. We apply two parameters land use transfer matrix and land use dynamic degree to explore the speed and regional differentiation of land use change. This study analyzes the characteristics of landscape patterns at the class and landscape levels in the study area and explores the ecological effect of land use pattern and regional ecological processes. The results show that: (1) Grassland, woodland, wetland, farmland, tificial surface, and others were the main landscape types in the study area in the past decade. The ecosystem structure was stable. About 0.37% of the total grassland area in 2000 experienced change in land use/land cover types. The area of woodlands, wetlands, farmlands, and tificial surface expanded. The area of "others" has declined. (2) The dynamic degree of regional land use was less than one percent in the recent ten years. The speed of land use and land cover change was low, and regional differentiation of change between the provinces was small. (3) The matrix of the landscape did not change in the study area. Landscape fragmentation index values decreased progressively; landscape diversity rose continuously; landscape aggregation and continuity decreased slightly; the landscape maintained relative integrity. The grassland restoration program implementation evidently improved the structure and stability of the land use / land cover.

Key words: land use/land cover, landscape pattern, dynamic change, grassland restoration programs, China