Land Classification and Evaluation by Land Cover Patterns and Net Primary Product in Peninsular Thailand

Abstract

In humid tropics, land degradation driven by increasing human activities such as forest clearance is the most important problem against sustainable biological products. The objective of this study is to make the land classification map as a base map for a land use planning in the Peninsular Thailand. Recognizing what kinds of land nature are found in humid tropics and their distribution patterns, homogenous environmental units were extracted by combining the factors of geology, land form and soils. These factors and cells were ordinated by correspondence analysis and classified by cluster analysis. In the result, the study area was classified into six homogenous units, and these units were represented as the sequential change from mountain environment to coastal one. In addition, land evaluation was carried out by land cover patterns and their changes, and net primary product which were calculated by remote sensing imagery. Compared by each land unit, land cover and its change were significantly related to land classification types, and net primary product was significantly different among land classification types.