Biodiv Sci ›› 2004, Vol. 12 ›› Issue (5): 473-480.  DOI: 10.17520/biods.2004058

• 论文 •     Next Articles

Effects of ecological protection and development on landscape pattern in the Thousand-Island Lake region, Zhejiang Province

DING Li-Zhong1*, LU Jian-Bo1, XU Gao-Fu2, WU Jian-Guo3   

  1. 1 Agro-Ecology Institute, College of Life Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029, China
    2 Xin'an River Development Corporation,Chun'an Country,Zhejiang Province,Chun'an 311700,China
    3 School of Life Science,Arizona State university,Tempe,AZ 85287,USA
  • Received:2004-05-07 Revised:2004-08-12 Online:2004-09-20 Published:2004-09-20
  • Contact: DING Li-Zhong

Abstract: Actions of ecological protection and development shape the pattern of a landscape, which in turn affects ecological processes in the landscape. Changes of the fragmented Thousand-Island Lake landscape, formed by the construction of a large dam in 1959, provide an outstanding example. We analyzed the changes in land use and land cover pattern in this region for a period of 39 years (1964-2003) using landscape metrics and 3S technology. Our results showed that the total number of patches and the degree of fragmentation basically remained the same, whereas the patch number, patch area, and dominance of each patch type changed significantly. The most dominant patch type changed from treeless barrens (47.44% of the terrestrial land) in 1964 to the Pinus massoniana forest (52.81% of the terrestrial land) in 2003. We also found that the value of landscape diversity decreased slightly. It is important to note that landscape diversity, a synoptic measure of the richness and evenness of all land use and land cover types, is not always positively related to landscape functioning. The slight decrease in landscape diversity was a result of the dynamics of all existing patches in the study region. Our results suggest that the forest vegetation on the area has improved in terms of coverage since 1964 (i.e., 5 years after the dam construction). These changes may be attributed to the many measures of ecological protection in this region which allowed natural succession to take its course. The improved landscape pattern enhanced ecological functioning of the island ecosystems, including restoration of habitats, increased biodiversity, and reduction in soil erosion. While the forest vegetation has been recovering, the increasing dominance by the structurally simple Pinus massoniana forest in this region should be considered in future efforts of biodiversity conservation, ecological planning, and sustainable development.

CLC Number: