Land use and landscape pattern changes in Nenjiang River basin during 1988–2002

Based on the Landsat TM data in 1988 and 2002, the GIS technique and Fragstats software were used to calculate the land use conversion matrix and eight landscape metrics at landscape and patch class levels in upstream, midstream, and downstream regions of Nenjiang River basin. The characteristics of land use and landscape pattern changes in each region during 1988–2002 were analyzed. The results show the followings: 1) During the period from 1988 to 2002, farmland and construction land area increased, while the areas of forestland, grassland, and unutilized land decreased in all three regions. The conversion trends from forestland and grassland to farmland were obvious. The conversion from forestland to farmland mainly occurred in the upstream region, whereas the conversion from grassland to farmland primarily occurred in the midstream and downstream regions. 2) The water area in the upstream and midstream regions enlarged, mainly due to the increase of water impounded area as a result of the construction of reservoirs. Comparatively, the water area in the downstream region decreased, and it mainly occurred in the east part of downstream region with concentrated lakes and swamps. 3) The degree of landscape fragmentation increased in each region. The controlling ability of forestland was weakened, and its patch shape became more complicated. In contrast, the controlling ability of farmland was reinforced, and the connectivity among patches increased. 4) The landscape pattern shows some gradient features. From the upstream to downstream regions, the disturbance of human activities on dominant patches was intensified, and consequently, the landscape fragmentation extent and heterogeneity were enhanced.