Land Use/Cover Change in Response to Driving Forces of Zoige County, China

Abstract The changing characteristics of landscape patterns in Zoige County, from 1986 to 2005 were investigated using time-series high-quality Land sat Thematic Mapper(TM) images. The article first carried out the images data processing using the eCognition software, and then used the GIS and FRAGSTAT software to calculate the Land Use/Cover Change (LUCC) in Zoige County, and the changes and trend of wetland during the study area. The results showed that the landscape become more complicated and heterogeneous due mainly to fragmentation; NP and PD of the wetland increased 95.36% and 95.24% respectively, along with other metrics, this paper concluded that the wetland in Zoige County has been extensively disturbed; there was a net area of 410.93 km2 turned into grassland from wetland, which indicated that the ditching for grassland enlargement result in the degradation of the wetland in Zoige County. Through analysis of LUCC driving forces, finally got the conclusions: the climate change and human disturbance factors, including increasing temperature, over-grazing, drainage of water systems, were both responsible for the wetland degradation in Zoige County.

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