Wetland changes in Jianghan Plain and simulation with GIS

Wetland plays an important role in the tempo spatial evolution of climate, biogeochemistry and biodiversity of the terrestrial ecosystems of the earth. To trace the patterns of wetland changes in the past and predict the changing trends in the future in the dimension of human activities is an arduous task for geographers and ecologists. The paper describes how to combine GIS with geo informatics and geography to simulate the wetland changes happened in Jianghan Plain in the middle reaches of the Yantze River in the last 40 years, and presents the results. The environmental implications of the wetland changes are discussed.