THE LANDSCAPE ECOLOGICAL ，ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING IN THE CONTOL WATERSHED BY RESERVOIR OF ERLKONG MOUNTAIN

Based on the theories of landscape ecology,landscape eco-environment in the coutrol watershed by reser-voir of Erlong Mountain in Heilogjiang Province was analyzed and assessed by using GIS technique and statistical model of Principal Component Analysis and Spatial Cluster Analysis.It is found that 100.08km^2(36%) of the total area is in the state of kilter,85.73km^2(31%) of the total area is in the state of general,and 47.26km^2(17%) and 15.48km^2(16%) is in the relatively poor state and ideal state.According to landscape ecological structure,there are three land-scape function areas being planned and designed.1) Agricultural landscape function area:its developmental direction is tour agriculture and high-benefit agriculture.2)Eco-environment protected function area:the direction of development and utilization of this region is to develop vigorously forest for soil and water conservation ,and try to increase the rate of vegetation cover.3)Forest landscape function area:rational cut and utilization of forest resources,space optimization disposal of category of forest ,foster of forest and protection of wildwood will become the main development directions for this region.This study trys to provide scientific foundation for ecological restoration of the whole valley and its sustain-able development.     

Soil erosion control degree of the project of converting farmland to forest in mountainous areas at China��s Southwest border: A case study in Mangshi, Yunnan Province

There have been few in-depth quantitative studies on soil erosion control and the ecological effects of land use changes. Soil erosion is the first eco-environmental problem particularly in mountainous areas. A major problem in the conversion of farmland to forest is to control soil erosion and improve ecological environment and thus to improve land use sustainability. We report results of calculation and analysis on soil erosion from converted farmland parcels in city of Mangshi (near the SW frontier of China) and the surrounding areas before and after the nine-year (2000–2009) project of converting farmland to forest. There was increased water conservation effect, as a result of decreased soil erosion. The average erosion modulus of the farmland returning to eco-friendly uses decreased by 5,535.59 t/km²·a and the control degree of soil erosion modulus reached 71.00%. The increased soil erosion after the returning in the typical sample area “did not drop, but increased” as the terraced fields decreased but sloping farmland increased and yet woodland decreased.     

Changes in ecosystem service of soil conservation between 2000 and 2010 and its driving factors in southwestern China

Human activities significantly alter ecosystems and their services; however, quantifying the impact of human activities on ecosystems has been a great challenge in ecosystem management. We used the Universal Soil Loss Equation and county-level socioeconomic data to assess the changes in the ecosystem service of soil conservation between 2000 and 2010, and to analyze its spatial characteristics and driving factors in the southwestern China. The results showed that cropland in the southwestern China decreased by 3.74%, while urban land, forest, and grassland areas increased by 46.78%, 0.86%, and 1.12%, respectively. The soil conservation increased by 1.88 × 10~(11) kg, with deterioration only in some local areas. The improved and the degraded areas accounted for 6.41% and 2.44% of the total land area, respectively. Implementation of the Sloping Land Conversion Program and urbanization explained 57.80% and 23.90% of the variation in the soil conservation change, respectively, and were found to be the main factors enhancing soil conservation. The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake was one of the factors that led to the degradation of soil conservation. Furthermore, industrial adjustment, by increasing shares of Industry and Service and reducing those of Agriculture, has also promoted soil conservation. Our results quantitatively showed and emphasized the contributions to soil conservation improvement made by implementing ecological restoration programs and promoting urbanization. Consequently, these results provide basic information to improve our understanding of the effects of ecological restoration programs, and help guide future sustainable urban development and regional industrial restructuring.     

PREDICTION OF SEDIMENT REDUCING BENEFIT UNDER DIFFERENT RAINFALL CONDITIONS AND CONTROL DEGREES ON THE LOESS PLATEAU DEGREES ON THE LOESS PLATEAU

Soilerosionisoneofthemostseriousenvironmentalproblemsinthepresentworld.Itnotonlyrestrictstheproductionofagriculturebadly,butalsothreatensthenaturalenvironmentonwhichhumanbeinglive.Andthismakethemankindconfrontedwithtremendouschallenge.OntheLoessPlateau,soilandwaterlossisterrible,environmentisweak,anditshighsandyieldmakestheriverwayinthelowerreachesoftheHuanghe(Yellow)Riverfilledup,riverbeddrivenup,floodthreatprickedup,andresultsingreathiddentroublestothecontrollingoffloodandtherunningofirrig…     

Assessment of Habitat Suitability in the Upper Reaches of the Min River in China

Habitat richness influences and even determines biological diversity. Plant habitat suitability assessment can provide technical guidance and information support for ecological restoration. Thirteen factors in three categories of terrain, meteorology and soil were chosen to build a habitat suitability assessment index framework in the Upper Reaches of the Min River, based on the local natural environment and the actual influencing factors of vegetative growth. Combined with the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP) and entropy method, which were used to calculate weights of indexes, habitat suitability was studied by using a multi-objective linear weighting model and geographic information systems(GIS) spatial analysis techniques. The assessment results are as follows: Altitude, soil stability, aspect and slope have more important effects on plant habitat suitability in the Upper Reaches of the Min River, and their weights are 0.311, 0.260, 0.198 and 0.125, respectively. Suitable and sub-suitable habitats cover 4431.80 km2 and 6171.12 km2, respectively; most of which are distributed along both sides of rivers and have higher suitability. Unsuitable habitats cover the largest area(6679.76 km2), accounting for 29.83% of the whole area; and the worst unsuitable habitats are 5107.23 km2(22.81%); they account for more than half of the studyarea. These results indicate that the plant habitat in the Upper Reaches of the Min River is poor and ecological restoration is both urgent and difficult. Therefore, based on the principle of taking measures suitable to the habitat in ecological restoration projects, ecological and engineering measures should be combined to have better effects, while increasing the strength of ecological protection.     

Response of Soil Moisture to Rainfall Event in Black Locust Plantations at Different Stages of Restoration in Hilly-gully Area of the Loess Plateau,China

Precipitation plays an important role in the water supplies that support ecological restoration by sustaining large-scale artificial plantations in arid and semiarid regions, especially black locust(Robinia pseudoacacia) plantations(RP plantations), which are widely planted due to R. pseudoacacia being an excellent pioneer species. Characterizing the response of soil moisture to rainfall events at different stages of restoration is important for assessing the sustainability of restoration in RP plantations. In this study, we quantified the response of soil moisture to rainfall events at different years of restoration(15, 20 and 30 yr) representing different restoration stages in RP plantations in a typical hilly-gully area, i.e., the Yangjuangou Catchment, of the Loess Plateau, China. Over the growing season(June to September) of 2017, smart probes were placed at nine depths(10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 150, and 180 cm below the soil surface) to obtain volumetric soil water information at 30-min intervals in the three RP plantations. The advance of the wetting front was depicted, and the total cumulative water infiltration was measured. Soil moisture was mainly replenished by eight heavy rainfall events(mean rainfall amount = 46.3 mm), accounting for 88.7% of the rainfall during the growing season. The mean soil moisture content profiles of RP plantations at the three restoration stages were ordered as 30-yr(14.07%) 20-yr(10.12%) 15-yr(8.03%), and this relationship displayed temporal stability. Soil moisture was primarily replenished by rainfall at the 0-60 cm soil depth, and soil moisture remained stable below the 100-cm soil depth. The rainfall regime influenced the advancement of the wetting front. Here, a single rainfall event of 30 mm was the rainfall threshold for infiltration into the 60-cm soil layer. The total infiltration time ranged from 310.5-322.0 h, but no significant differences were found among RP plantations at different restoration stages. Young and old RP plantations had more total infiltration(more than 228.2 mm) and deeper infiltration depths(80-100 cm) than middle-aged plantations. The RP plantation at the intermediate restoration stage exhibited minimal total infiltration(174.2 mm) and a shallow infiltration depth(60 cm) due to the soil physical structure of the plot, which may have limited rain infiltration. More stand conditions that may affect infiltration should be considered for priority afforestation areas.     

Effects of gully erosion and gully filling on soil degradation in the black soil region of Northeast China

Gully erosion has caused soil degradation and even reduced soil productivity.However,only few studies on the effects of gully erosion and artificial controlling measures on soil degradation in the Black Soil Region of Northeast China are available.Thus,this study explores the relationships between gully erosion,gully filling and soil parameters.Two sets of soil samples were collected in the field at:(1) 72 sample points in the gully erosion study area,60 sample points in the ephemeral and classical gully erosion area(3,518 m2),12 sample points in the deposition zone(443 m2),(2)10 reference points along a slope unaffected by gully erosion representing the original situation before the gully was formed.All soil samples were analyzed for gravel content(GC),soil organic matter(SOM),total nitrogen(TN),available nitrogen(AN),available phosphorus(AP),and available potassium(AK).The soil property values on unaffected slope were fitted by the polynomial curves as the reference values in no gully erosion area.The interpolated soil property values in gully eroded study area were compared with these polynomial curves,respectively,and then,changes of soil property values were analyzed.Gully erosion caused an increase in GC and a decrease in SOM,TN,AN,AP and AK.The change of GC,SOM,TN,AN,AP,AK was 8.8%,-9.04 g kg-1,-0.92 g kg-1,-62.28 mg kg-1,-29.61 mg kg-1,-79.68 mg kg-1.The soil property values in the study area were below optimal values.Thus,we concluded that gully erosion and gully filling caused both on-site and off-site soil degradation.Soil degradation area was 0.65 % of the cultivated land.In addition,it was proved that gully filling were an improper soil and water conservation measure,which seems to exacerbate the problem.Thus,it is suggested that soil where soil is deep is moved to fill the gully,and then the area around the filled gullies should be covered by grass for preventing the formation and development of the gully.     

三江源生态工程实施以来草地恢复态势及现状分析

三江源生态保护与建设工程实施以来,区域生态环境发生了明显的改善。为了正确认识该地区草地退化恢复的程度及其空间分布特征,本文通过对比分析2004年和2012年2期遥感影像,利用人工解译的手段获取了工程实施后三江源地区退化草地变化态势数据集,并在此基础上分析了退化草地的恢复态势,以及草地退化现状的空间格局特征。结果表明：① 2004-2012年三江源生态工程实施以后,该地区草地退化呈现不同程度的减缓态势,而且局部地区草地状况明显好转;② 三江源地区各县草地退化趋势基本得到控制,退化草地变化以轻微好转和明显好转为主,退化发生和退化加剧现象仅发生在极少数县;③ 2012年三江源退化草地面积比2004年降低了5.78%,其中中度退化草地的面积减少最显著,下降了5.35%。黄河源和长江源草地退化的形势依然比较严峻,玛多县、曲麻莱县、称多县北部和治多县东南部草地退化最明显。三江源生态工程自实施以来,草地恢复态势及现状分析对归纳总结三江源生态保护与建设一期工程的成功经验和基本教训,以及合理指导二期工程的实施具有重要的科学意义。     

<Superscript>137</Superscript>Cs tracing dynamics of soil erosion,organic carbon,and total nitrogen in terraced fields and forestland in the Middle Mountains of Nepal

The Middle Mountains is one of the regions of Nepal most vulnerable to water erosion, where fragile geology, steep topography, anomalous climatic conditions, and intensive human activity have resulted in serious soil erosion and enhanced land degradation. Based on the ¹³⁷Cs tracing method, spatial variations in soil erosion, organic carbon, and total nitrogen (TN) in terraced fields lacking field banks and forestland were determined. Soil samples were collected at approximately 5 m and 20 m intervals along terraced field series and forestland transects respectively. Mean 137Cs inventories of the four soil cores from the reference site was estimated at 574.33 ± 126.22 Bq m^-2 (1 Bq (i.e., one Becquerel) is equal to 1 disintegration per second (1 dps)). For each terrace, the ¹³⁷Cs inventory generally increased from upper to lower slope positions, accompanied by a decrease in the soil erosion rate. Along the entire terraced toposequence, ¹³⁷Cs data showed that abrupt changes in soil erosion rates could occur between the lower part of the upper terrace and the upper part of the immediate terrace within a small distance. This result indicated that tillage erosion is also a dominant erosion type in the sloping farmland of this area. At the same time, we observed a fluctuant decrease in soil erosion rates for the whole terraced toposequence as well as a net deposition at the toe terrace. Although steep terraces (lacking banks and hedgerows) to some extent could act to limit soil sediment accumulation in catchments, soil erosion in the terraced field was determined to be serious. For forestland, with the exception of serious soil erosion that had taken place at the top of slopes due to concentrated flows from a country road situated above the forestland site, spatial variation in soil erosion was similar to the “standard” water erosion model. Soil organic carbon (SOC) and TN inventories showed similar spatial patterns to the ¹³⁷Cs inventory for both toposequences investigated. However, due to the different dominant erosion processes between the two, we found similar patterns between the <0.002 mm soil particle size fraction (clay sized) and ¹³⁷Cs inventories in terraced fields, while different patterns could be found between ¹³⁷Cs inventories and the <0.002 mm soil particle size fraction in the forestland site. Such results confirm that ¹³⁷Cs can successfully trace soil erosion, SOC and soil nitrogen dynamics in steep terraced fields and forestland in the Middle Mountains of Nepal.     

Carbon sequestration of plantation in Beijing-Tianjin sand source areas

The Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Control Project(BTSSCP), a national ecological restoration project, was launched to construct an ecological protection system in the Beijing-Tianjin sand source areas to reduce dust hazards. The carbon sequestration dynamics can be used to assess the ecological effects of an ecological restoration project. Here, we conducted vegetation and soil study to assess the carbon sequestration in the plantations with 10 years old stands in Beijing-Tianjin sand source areas. The results at the site scales indicated that the average net increase of plantation ecosystem carbon stock was 33.8 Mg C ha~(-1), with an annual increase rate of 3.38 Mg C ha~(-1) yr~(-1). The average net increase of carbon varied among regions, vegetation types, and forest management activities. Soil bulk density in the top soil decreased slightly after 10-year implementation of the project. Coniferous forests and shrubs are suitable plant species for sand source areas.Natural restoration in the plantations is a practical and feasible and promising approach for enhancing ecosystem carbon sequestration potential.     

三北工程区植被恢复对土壤风蚀的影响及植被恢复潜力研究

三北地区是我国重要的生态屏障,分析2000—2019年三北防护林体系建设工程（简称：三北工程）区植被恢复时空变化状况,厘定人类活动与气候要素对植被恢复的贡献,探究植被恢复对土壤风蚀影响,评估植被恢复潜力空间,可为三北防护林体系建设工程未来规划管理和科学施策提供参考。本文在选取植被覆盖度和植被净初级生产力表征植被恢复状况基础上,利用地面数据,结合模型模拟,定量评估了2000—2019年三北防护林体系建设工程区植被恢复程度及其对土壤风蚀的影响,并对植被恢复潜力进行探究。研究结果表明：① 2000—2019年植被恢复程度高、较高的面积,占总面积的35.29%和13.16%,主要分布在黄土高原区及北部区域和风沙区与东北华北平原农区的部分地区。人类活动与气候因素对植被恢复贡献率为10.45%和89.55%;② 土壤风蚀以轻度侵蚀和微度侵蚀为主,呈逐年下降趋势,剧烈侵蚀面积减少了66.45%,防风固沙服务得到进一步提升。植被恢复程度与土壤风蚀模数呈负相关关系,植被恢复程度较好有助于降低土壤风蚀模数;③ 三北工程区森林、草地和荒漠生态系统仍有8.16%的恢复潜力,内蒙古高原北部部分地区、哈顺戈壁北部和准噶尔盆地西北部及周边区域、黄土高原南部部分区域存在较大恢复潜力。     

Spatiotemporal variation of soil organic carbon in the cultivated soil layer of dry land in the South-Western Yunnan Plateau,China

The dynamics of soil organic carbon(SOC)in cropland is one of the central issues related to both soil fertility and environmental safety. However, little information is available at county level regarding the spatiotemporal variability of SOC in the southwestern mountainous region of China. Thus, this study aimed to explore spatiotemporal changes of SOC in the cultivated soil layer of dry land in Mojiang County,Yunnan Province, China. Data were obtained from the second national soil survey(SNSS) of 1985 and soil tests for fertilizer application carried out by the Mojiang Agricultural Bureau in 2006. The ANOVA test was applied to determine any significant differences between the datasets, while semivariogram analysis was performed on geostatistics via an ordinary Kriging method in order to map spatial patterns of soil organic carbon density(SOCD). The results revealed that SOCD in the cultivated soil layer significantly decreased from 3.93 kg m~(-2) in 1985 to 2.89 kg m~(-2) in 2006, with a total soil organic carbon stock(SOCS) decrease of 41.54×10~4 t over the same period. SOCS levels fell most markedly in yellow-brown soil at a rate of51.52%, while an increase of 8.70% was found in the analysed latosol. Geostatistical analysis also showed that the recorded changes in SOCD between 1985 and2006 were spatially structured. The decreasing trend might be attributed to the combined action of intense cultivation, major crop residue removal without any protective tillage measures, unreasonable fertilization and natural climatic diversity inducing a large decrease in SOC in the studied cultivated dry land region of Mojiang County. Therefore, management measures such as protective tillage should be undertaken in order to enhance soil C sequestration.     

中国北方农牧交错带土地沙化区典型植物的雨季水分来源

中国北方农牧交错带是中东部地区重要的生态安全屏障, 由于其系统结构脆弱、生态环境问题多发、土地沙化严重, 开展生态修复工作显得十分重要。植物-土壤水分关系作为土地沙化区生态水文过程的重要组成部分, 研究二者的转化过程对于了解植物吸水模式、确定生态修复的首选植物种非常关键。以河北省张家口市康保县北部为例, 基于雨季的大气降水、地下水、土壤水和植物水的氢氧同位素特征, 分析了主要植物的吸水层位、生态位宽度和水分竞争关系。结果表明, 柠条以吸收80~100 cm深度土壤水为主, 吸水比例最大可达87.7%, 油菜花以吸收0~20 cm深度土壤水为主, 吸水比例最大可达82.3%, 狼针的吸水层位与土壤含水率有关, 在含水率较高的深度吸水比例更大, 栉叶蒿的吸水深度较为均衡, 各植物种的生态位宽度均较大, 但部分植物间存在较强的水分竞争关系。本研究为中国北方农牧交错带土地沙化区的植物水源来源识别和生态修复提供了科学依据。      

Relationship between soil and water conservation practices and soil conditions in low mountain and hilly region of Northeast China

The soil and water conservation practices of ecological restoration（ER）,fish scale pit（FP）,furrow and ridge tillage across the slope（FR）,shrub strips（SS）,and vegetation-covered ridge（VR） are characteristic of the Jixing small watershed of the low mountain and hilly region of Jilin Province,Northeast China. This study aims to elucidate the effects of soil and water conservation practices on soil conditions after the short-term implementation of practices. Soil samples were collected from five soil and water conservation sites（ER,FP,FR,SS,and VR） and two controls（BL and CT） to investigate their properties. To evaluate the influence of soil and water conservation practices on soil quality,an integrated quantitative index,soil quality index（QI）,was developed to compare the soil quality under the different soil and water conservation practices. The results show that not all soil and water conservation practices can improve the soil conditions and not all soil properties,especially soil organic carbon（SOC）,can be recovered under soil and water conservation practice in short-term. Moreover,the QI in the five soil and water conservation practices and two controls was in the following order： ER VR BL FR CT SS FP. ER exhibited a higher soil quality value on a slope scale. In the low mountain and hilly region of Northeast China,ER is a better choice than the conversion of farmlands to planted grasslands and woodlands early in the soil and water conservation program.     

Spatial and temporal patterns of soil nitrogen distribution under different land uses in a watershed in the hilly area of purple soil, China

Quantification of soil spatial and temporal variability at watershed scale is important in ecological modeling, precision agriculture, and natural resources management. The spatio-temporal variations of soil nitrogen under different land uses in a small watershed (12.10 km²) in the hilly area of purple soil at the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in southwestern China were investigated by using conventional statistics, geostatistics, and a geographical information system in order to provide information for land management and control of environmental issues. A total of 552 soil samples (0 to 15 cm) from 276 sites within the watershed were collected in April and August of 2011, and analyzed for soil total nitrogen (STN) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N). We compared spatial variations of STN and NO3-N under different land uses as well as the temporal variations in April (dry season) and August (rainy season). Results showed that STN contents were deeply affected by land-use types; median STN values ranged from 0.94 to 1.27 g·kg^?1, and STN contents decreased in the following order: paddy field > forestland > sloping cropland. No significant difference was found for STN contents between April and August under the same land use. However, NO3-N contents were 23.26, 10.58, and 26.19 mg·kg^?1 in April, and 1.34, 8.51, and 3.00 mg·kg^?1 in August for the paddy field, sloping cropland and forestland, respectively. Nugget ratios for STN indicated moderate spatial dependence in the paddy field and sloping cropland, and a strong spatial dependence in forestland. The processes of nitrogen movement, transformation, absorption of plant were deeply influenced by land use types; as a result, great changes of soil nitrogen levels at spatial and temporal scales were demonstrated in the studied watershed.     

Changes in SOC and nutrients under intensive tillage in two types of slope landscapes

The net effect of tillage erosion on soil properties would be associated with the spatial variation in soil constituents,and therefore plays an important role in ecological agriculture.We conducted a consecutive tillage by hoeing 15 times during a period with no rainfall in the two slope landscapes(a linear slope and complex slope) of the Yangtze Three Gorges reservoir areas,to examine the relationship between soil erosion rates and the variations in soil chemical properties and compare the effects of soil redistribution on SOC and nutrients between the linear and complex slopes.After the simulated tillage,notable changes in 137 Cs inventories of the soil occurred in the summit and toeslope positions on the linear slope,while there were significant changes in 137 Cs inventories at convex and concave positions on the complex slope.Soil profile disappeared at the summit slope boundary,with the exposure area of 16.0% and 7.6% of the experimental plot,respectively,for the linear and complex slopes due to no soil replacement.Soil organic C and nutrients were completely depleted with the disappearance of soil profiles at soil eroding zones,whereas a remarkable increase in SOC,total N and available nutrient concentrations of the post-tillage surface soil and a decrease in total nutrient concentrations(P and K) were found at depositional zones on the linear slope.For the complex slope,however,changes in SOC and nutrient concentrations of the post-tillage surface soil exhibited a patterndifferent from that on the linear slope,which showed a remarkable decrease in SOC and total nutrient concentrations but a slight increase in available nutrient concentrations after tillage in the toeslope position.Due to the gradual increase in soil depth from top to bottom of the slope,SOC and nutrient inventories in the soil profiles were significantly correlated with soil redistribution rates on both the linear and complex slopes.Tillage causes remarkable changes of soil chemical properties in the surface soil layer and soil profile,and increases SOC and nutrient inventories for the soil profile downslope in steeply sloping landscapes.     

THE FLOOD OF THE NENJIANG RIVER AND THE SONGHUA RIVER IN 1998 AND THE COMPREHENSIVE MANAGEMENT OF THE RIVER BASINS

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Effects of biofertilizers and super absorbent polymers on plant growth and soil fertility in the arid mining area of Inner Mongolia,China

A pot experiment was conducted in the Institute of Tianlong Ecology of Baotou City in Inner Mongolia, China, to investigate the effects of the application of biofertilizers and super absorbent polymers (SAP) on plant growth and soil improvement in arid mining area soil. Two typical species, namely, Syringa oblata Lindl. (SO) and Medicago sativa L. (MS), were present in the Bayan Obo mining area and used as representatives of shrubs and herbaceous plants in the pot experiment. (1) Biofertilizers and SAP significantly increased the tree height, the ground diameter of SO, and the total biomass of MS and improved the soil fertility of the mining area, especially its biological fertility, compared with those of the control group (CK). The application of biofertilizers and SAP decreased the mining soil pH and significantly increased available nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, and soil organic matter. (2) After 180 days of growth, the microbial population (bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes) and soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen significantly increased. Microbial ratios C: N significantly decreased compared with those of CK. (3) T5 and T6 treatments with the following dosages might be the optimum selection for the improvement of the studied mining area soil: 20 g SAP + 15 g biofertilizers (SO), 100 g/m² SAP + 150 g biofertilizers (MS); 20 g SAP + 30 g biofertilizers (SO), and 100 g/m² SAP + 200 g biofertilizers (MS). This study provided a promising reference for conducting future field studies and the local vegetation restoration.     

Land use/cover changes and environmental consequences in Songnen Plain, Northeast China

The Songnen Plain in Northeast China, one of the key national bases of agricultural production, went through remarkable land use/cover changes in recent years. This study aimed to explore the long-term land use/cover changes and the effects of these changes on the environment. The Landsat-based analysis showed that, during 1986–2000, cropland, built-up land and barren land had increased, among which cropland had the largest increase of 9,198km² with an increase rate of 7.5%. Woodland, grassland, water body and swampland had decreased correspondingly, among which grassland had the most dramatic decrease of 6,127km² with a decrease rate of 25.6%. The transition matrix results revealed that grassland, woodland and swampland were the three main land use types converted to cropland. Climate warming created the potential environment for the conversion of grassland and swampland into cropland. Land resources policy made by central and provincial governments of China affected the pattern and intensity of land use. Land use/cover changes accompanied by climatic variation brought out a series of environmental consequences, such as sand desertification of land, land salinization and alkalinization, grassland degradation, and more frequent floods. Under this circumstance, optimized land use structure and restoration measures are needed.     

Land cover change in different altitudes of Guizhou-Guangxi karst mountain area,China: patterns and drivers

Topography, especially altitude, will influence the way, process and characteristics of land cover changes in mountainous area, simultaneously, the vertical difference of land cover changes will affect soil quality and regional ecological environment. Therefore, the gradient relationship analysis between land cover changes and altitude is very important for regional sustainability. This study investigated land cover dynamics based on land cover data from a typical mountainous area in the Guizhou-Guangxi karst mountain area, China, in 2000 and 2010, then explored the relationship between altitude and land cover change and analyzed different drivers of land cover change at different altitudes. Our findings are as follows. 1) From 2000 to 2010, the total area of land cover transition was 7167.04 km~2 or 2.8% of the region. The increasing area of build-up land(926.23 km~2) was larger than that of forest(859.38 km~2), suggesting that the urban construction speed was higher than that of reforestation. 2) Intensity of land cover transition in northwestern Guizhou-Guangxi karst mountain area was much larger than that of southeast part and their transition trend was also significantly different, which was consistent with regional population and economy. 3) Human activity was the most dramatic at altitudes between 0–500 m. For 500–1000 m, grassland mainly converted to forest and build-up land. Area of land cover transition was the greatest between 1000–1500 m, while above 1500 m, the transition of grassland was the most obvious. 4) The drivers of land cover change varied. Land cover change was positively correlated with gross domestic product and population density but was inversely related to relief amplitude. There were correlations between land cover change and distance to roads and rivers, and their correlations varied with altitude. By revealing patterns and causes of land cover changes in different altitudes, we hope to understand the vertical dependence of land cover changes, so as to improve land productivity and protect land ecological environment scientifically.