Effect of Grain for Green on the landscape pattern of small watershed in the farming crisscross region:A case study in Liudaogou Watershed
ZHang Qingyin, Fan Jun, ZHang Xiaoping
State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation,Northwest A&F University, 712100, Yangling,China
Abstract：Based on the remote sensing images, the impact of the Grain for Green project on the spatial-temporal variability of land use and landscape pattern in the recent 15 years in the farming crisscross region on the Loess Plateau were analyzed using RS, GIS technology and landscape ecological methods.The results showed that the landscape pattern changed little before Grain for Green (1995 -2002) with the small range of A (percentage of land area), IA (aggregation index) and landscape patterns. After Grain for Green (2002 - 2010), small watershed landscape pattern occurred a dramatic evolution with the sharp decrease of the percentage of arable land, rapid increase of the percentage of forest and grassland area and the decrease of plaque border complexity. From 1995 (before Grain for Green ) to 2010 (after Grain for Green), the contagion index increased from 46.26 to 47.54, and the landscape diversity index decreased from 1.67 to 1.65. The farmland, meadow and woodland matrix landscape ecosystem in 1995 changed into meadow and woodland matrix landscape ecosystem, with the lower heterogeneous landscape in the study area. Through the analysis of two phases of landscape pattern beforeand after the implementation of the Grain for Green, it can be concluded that Grain for Green campaign was the main driving force for positive evolution of the landscape pattern in the study area.
2013, Vol. 11 
