Landscape Ecology Principles Research Articles

Landscape Ecological Urbanism for Restoration of Pallikaranai Marsh Land, Chennai, Tamil Nadu

This paper outlines the process by which a proposal was made to restore the Pallikaranai marsh in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, incorporating the principles of Landscape Ecology, Landscape Urbanism and Ecological Urbanism, all of which work towards finding ways of integrating nature with architecture and urban design. The design proposal is based on Landscape Ecological Urbanism, an approach put forth by Frederick Steiner, for planning of regions based on a sensitive approach to ecology and nature[1], and at the same time using advanced software and imaging techniques to reach an effective planning solution

The Natural Resources Conservation Service Land Resource Hierarchy and Ecological Sites

Core Ideas Propose the creation of Land Resource Areas through landscape ecology principles of subdivision. Integrate nested hierarchical relationships into the NRCS Land Resource Hierarchy. Place Ecological Sites as a nested resource area scale in the NRCS Land Resource Hierarchy. Resource areas of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) have long been important to soil geography. At both regional and landscape scales, resource areas are used to stratify programs and practices based on geographical areas where resource concerns, problems, or treatment needs are similar. However, the inability to quantifiably delineate and classify resource area boundaries hinders communication across the NRCS and federal agencies. Without strong standards delineating geography and concepts, resource areas become less scientifically defensible and inconsistent in addressing similar resource management issues. Furthermore, with continued development of ecological site (ES) concepts, there is a renewed interest in understanding the relationships between resource areas and ESs. In this paper we: (i) review the concepts and history of landscape classifications leading to the predominant regional classification systems used by federal agencies in the USA, (ii) propose strengthening the NRCS's Land Resource Hierarchy (LRH) by building resource area concepts on nesting principles of subdivision instead of aggregation, and (iii) place ecological site concepts as a nested resource area within the LRH.

Business plan for a Zen garden

AbstractThe placement of a theme park in the form of a Zen garden, as a business opportunity in the Slovenian rural area, is discussed. The design of the garden, with all the major points of a standard business plan, is accurately presented, with a description of the business, branch, and services, market analysis, marketing strategy, financial projections, and a plan of the work and activities. The financial aspect is presented as the amount of investment, net present value, and internal rate of return. The amount of investment is estimated at € 14.891, which should be reimbursed within 4 years of operations. The estimated internal rate of return is estimated at 16.86%. Part of the study is the market analysis - conduction of a survey into knowledge of, and interest in, Zen and Zen gardens. The principles of landscape ecology are respected, as the Zen garden would be set in the woods and will blend seamlessly into the landscape.

ECOLOGICAL SECURITY PATTERN FOR THE LANDSCAPE OF MESOSCALE AND MICROSCALE LAND: A CASE STUDY OF THE HARBIN CITY CENTER

The city center planning based on the ecological security pattern of the landscape plays an important role in protecting the healthy operation of the urban ecological environment. This paper takes the city of Harbin of Heilongjiang Province as the target of research, the data during 2011 and 2012 relating to the overall urban planning of Harbin as the data source, and the extraction of the study domain based on the principle of landscape ecology as the ecological source. Also, we take the cumulative cost distance model to create the ecological corridor and the ecological nodes, build the spatial pattern of the city center based on the ecological security pattern of the landscape, and develop the strategy to protect the ecological security pattern of the city center landscape. This study has a pivotal reference value for guiding the city’s overall planning and protecting the ecological environment of the region.

Dynamics in forest patterns during times of forest policy changes in Latvia

In the context of forest management intensification, European countries are attempting to promote the sustainable management of forest landscapes. The aim of this study was to determine the structural dynamics of managed state forest landscapes in the context of changing forest policy. Four landscapes in the North Vidzeme Biosphere Reserve of northern Latvia were studied for the period between 1988 and 2011. The spatial patterns of clearcuts, regenerating stands and uncut stands were analysed using landscape metrics at the class level. For more comprehensive structural analysis, we additionally analysed the stand age structures and spatial pattern characteristics of over-mature stands and woodland key habitats (small voluntarily set-aside forest stands with high biodiversity values in Nordic and Baltic countries) that existed in 2011. The results indicated a substantial increase in the overall landscape structure complexity (measured by the number of patches, edge density and patch isolation at the class level) in three of the four analysed landscapes. At the class level, clearcut harvesting intensity increased after 2000, with the establishment of a new forest policy and management system in state forests combined with an abundance of timber available for felling. Significant increase in clearcut edge density and aggregation, with a corresponding decline of matrix connectivity, coincided with an increase in allowed felling volume by 4 million m3 for the period between 2009 and 2010 (increase in felling by about 60 % in state forests). Management reform and the introduction of a concentrated felling strategy in state forests also contributed to management intensification. Relatively higher WKH isolation, compared to that of over-mature stands, in all landscapes suggested that setting aside part of these stands could be a means of improving connectivity in the future. We suggest that the integration of landscape ecological principles, such as inclusion of ecological networks or retaining clusters of older stands, into Latvia’s forest management plans is needed and would contribute to more sustainable forest management.

English

Urbanization is a landscape transformation process that is manifested by spatial expansion relative to human development. The present study aimed at the characterization of the spatio-temporal dynamics of Niamey city over the past 38 years (1975-2013) through a diachronic analysis of Lands at satellite images and application of landscape ecology principles. It sought to: (i) analyze the spatiotemporal pattern of land use land cover change of Niamey city and (ii) identify the driving forces for the land use land cover change in Niamey and their implications. Thirteen LULC classes were identified and grouped into three broad categories namely “Built-up area”, “Agricultural zone” and “Vegetation area”. The “Agricultural zone”, more specifically the class Rain-fed farmland represent the landscape matrix (over 37% of the landscape) throughout the period considered for the study. “Built-up area” dominated by “suburb quarter” experienced its lowest expansion rate during the interim period T2 (1989-1999).Analysis of the landscape spatial structure and configuration revealed that the landscape is fragmentation and highly heterogeneous. In general, urbanization in Niamey could be characterized by progressive densification and sprawl along communication lines. Key words: Urban dynamics, landscape indices, remote sensing, Niamey, land use land cover.

Riverine Landscape Patch Heterogeneity Drives Riparian Ant Assemblages in the Scioto River Basin, USA.

Although the principles of landscape ecology are increasingly extended to include riverine landscapes, explicit applications are few. We investigated associations between patch heterogeneity and riparian ant assemblages at 12 riverine landscapes of the Scioto River, Ohio, USA, that represent urban/developed, agricultural, and mixed (primarily forested, but also wetland, grassland/fallow, and exurban) land-use settings. Using remotely-sensed and ground-collected data, we delineated riverine landscape patch types (crop, grass/herbaceous, gravel, lawn, mudflat, open water, shrub, swamp, and woody vegetation), computed patch metrics (area, density, edge, richness, and shape), and conducted coordinated sampling of surface-active Formicidae assemblages. Ant density and species richness was lower in agricultural riverine landscapes than at mixed or developed reaches (measured using S [total number of species], but not using Menhinick’s Index [D M]), whereas ant diversity (using the Berger-Park Index [DBP]) was highest in agricultural reaches. We found no differences in ant density, richness, or diversity among internal riverine landscape patches. However, certain characteristics of patches influenced ant communities. Patch shape and density were significant predictors of richness (S: R 2 = 0.72; D M: R 2=0.57). Patch area, edge, and shape emerged as important predictors of DBP (R 2 = 0.62) whereas patch area, edge, and density were strongly related to ant density (R 2 = 0.65). Non-metric multidimensional scaling and analysis of similarities distinguished ant assemblage composition in grass and swamp patches from crop, gravel, lawn, and shrub as well as ant assemblages in woody vegetation patches from crop, lawn, and gravel (stress = 0.18, R 2 = 0.64). These findings lend insight into the utility of landscape ecology to river science by providing evidence that spatial habitat patterns within riverine landscapes can influence assemblage characteristics of riparian arthropods.

Setting Priorities for Urban Forest Planning. A Comprehensive Response to Ecological and Social Needs for the Metropolitan Area of Rome (Italy)

Urban forests represent key elements of green infrastructure and provide essential ecosystem services in both the ecological and social spheres. Therefore, forestation planning plays a decisive role in the sustainable development strategies of metropolitan areas and addresses the challenge of maintaining biodiversity while improving human health and well-being. The aim of this work is to present a methodological approach that can be used to identify priorities in urban forest planning and can provide comprehensive responses to ecological and social needs in any metropolitan context. The approach, which is based on interdisciplinary principles of landscape ecology, ecosystem geography and dynamic plant sociology, has been adopted in the Municipality of Rome (Italy). The first step entails defining an ecological framework for forestation plans by means of the ecological land classification and assessment of landscape conservation status. The second step entails setting forestation priorities according to both ecological and social criteria. The application of the method proved to effectively select limited areas requiring intervention within an extensive metropolitan area. Furthermore, it provided responses to sustainability issues such as long-term maintenance of restored habitats, landscape perspective of planning, greening of urban agriculture, improvement in urban resilience, and cost-effective improvement in ecosystem services provision.

Developing open space networks in shrinking cities

Urban green spaces provide essential ecosystem services and improve resident quality of life, but open space networks are often fragmented by urban development, and it is difficult to reclaim natural lands after they have been built up. Shrinking cities (i.e., cities experiencing population decline) typically contain an abundance of vacant and abandoned residential buildings that are demolished for safety and maintenance reasons. The resulting empty lots can potentially be reclaimed as natural areas to defragment the green network and increase open space connectivity. To date however, planning efforts have largely ignored post-demolition land uses for these lots, allowing many to become empty wastelands. This research approaches this gap by presenting an alternative plan for residential demolition sites using landscape ecology principles and methods to incorporate them into the open space network. Using Buffalo, NY – a typical rustbelt shrinking city – as a case study, areas most at risk for experiencing demolitions are identified using a clustering technique, and each building within the cluster is assigned a likelihood it will be demolished using a logit model. Properties with the highest risk for demolition are then prioritized based on their ability to contribute to and connect the open space network using landscape connectivity metrics. Results indicate the approach can foster large increases in green network connectivity using small parcels (a 356% increase in total open space area was observed in this study after three years of purposeful selection), allowing cities to reclaim unused urban areas and defragment the open space network.

Analysis of effect of topographical conditions on content of total alkaloid in Coptidis Rhizoma in Chongqin, China

To study ecology suitability rank dividing of the total alkaloid content of Coptis Rhizoma for selecting artificial planting base and high-quality industrial raw material in Chongqing province. Based on the investigation of PCB and DEM data of Chongqing province, the relationship between the total alkaloid content in Coptis Rhizoma and topographical conditions was analyzed by statistical analysis. The geographic information systems (GIS)-based assessment and landscape ecological principles were applied to assess eco logy suitability areas of Coptis Rhizoma in Chongqing. slope, aspect and altitude are main topographical factors that affect the content of the total alkaloid content in Coptis Rhizoma The total alkaloid content in Coptis Rhizoma is higher in the lower altitude, shady slope and bigger slope areas. The total alkaloid content is higher in the south areas of Chongqing province and lower in the northeast. Terrain conditions of the southern region of Chongqing are most suitable for The accumulated of total alkaloid Coptis Rhizoma content.

MSPA-Based Urban Green Infrastructure Planning and Management Approach for Urban Sustainability: Case Study of Longgang in China

AbstractIn China, rapid city expansion and the consequent loss and fragmentation of green spaces presents a major challenge for urban planners wanting to maintain urban sustainability. The aim of this paper is to formulate a workable framework to plan and manage urban green infrastructure for urban sustainability through a case study of Longgang, a typical developed area in China. Urban green infrastructure is associated with various landscape types, which have different functional niches in a UGI network. By integrating morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA) into landscape ecological principles based on a geographic information system, the functional niches of landscapes were defined as core areas, connectors, islets, and three levels of potential connectors. Then a future urban green infrastructure scenario with hierarchical hubs, links, and sites was delineated. Finally, by contrasting the plan scenario and the basic ecological control line (BECL) of Longgang, some focus areas for management str...

Zoneamento hierárquico da paisagem nos domínios da Bacia do Rio Uruguai

Este artigo apresenta uma abordagem que combina ferramentas de Sistemas de Informações Geográficas (SIG) e de Sensoriamento Remoto (SR) para o mapeamento integrado da paisagem, dentro de diretrizes de um zoneamento hierárquico e de princípios da Ecologia da Paisagem. Variáveis físicas, ecológicas e sociais são integradas, empregando-se análise multivariada desses fatores para uma categorização de unidades de paisagem. Na abordagem metodológica constam as fases de: a) organização e processamento das variáveis paisagísticas em ambiente de SIG e de Análise de Imagem Orientada a Objetos Geográficos (GEOBIA); b) zoneamento hierárquico da paisagem em “geons” e Unidades de Planejamento da Paisagem (UPP’s); c) análise multivariada das UPP’s resultantes com a definição de dois níveis hierárquicos (hólons) da paisagem. O mapeamento das unidades de paisagem e a análise multivariada permitem o entendimento de padrões e da distribuição espacial da paisagem investigada. O zoneamento hierárquico da paisagem aqui desenvolvido traz uma contribuição da abordagem de GEOBIA, considerado potencial para a análise e integração de dados de SIG e Sensoriamento Remoto nesse tipo de estudo.

Yunnan Haba Snow Mountain Ecological Safety Evaluation Based on the Landscape Ecological Pattern

Land ecological security research has gradually become concerned field on global. Using on the Haba Snow Mountain as an example try to discuss the evaluation of ecological security based on change of the landscape ecological pattern in the paper. In GIS, RS and GPS support and accordance with the principles of landscape ecology and using new grid map method has been 1993 and 2006 Haba Snow Mountain ecological safety evaluation and space differentiation. There are temperate coniferous forest, grassland, sclerophyll broad-leaved forest, warm coniferous forest, water area, residential land, semi-humid evergreen broad-leaved forest, ice and snow land nine landscape types, and temperate coniferous forest and grassland are dominant landscape in the study area, both area has accounted about 67% of the total area. The results show that from 1993 to 2006 the whole landscape pattern has changed less in the area. Land ecological security level space differentiation is very obvious. Ecological security level high altitude area is superior to low altitude area, the core area is superior to the edge area, north area is superior to the southern area. Land ecological security in the study area whole is in good level. From 1993 to 2006 years land ecological security level has declined in the area. Research on ecological safety planning to provide basis for ecological safety planning and for similar high mountain canyon area also has reference value.

江苏省自然遗产地生态网络的构建与优化

自然遗产地是生物的重要栖息场所,而生态网络是连接自然遗产地的有效途径,如何有效和合理地构建自然遗产地之间的生态廊道,连接破碎生境,对保护自然遗产地生物多样性和区域生态安全具有重要意义.在ArcGIS 9.3的技术支持下,通过合理估算阻力阈值,采用最小耗费距离模型分析方法,构建江苏省省域范围内的自然遗产地生态网络保护体系,并在网络连通性指数分析方法的基础上对生态网络的连通性和有效性进行评价,针对性地提出自然遗产地生态网络的优化措施.研究结果表明:78.28%的林地、88.70%的滩涂滩地、94.37%的草地是自然遗产地生态网络的主要景观组成结构;自然遗产斑块本身对生态网络的构建有较大影响,其中面积较大、长条型的斑块对维持景观连通性的重要性程度贡献较大;研究区现状整体生态连通性指数仅0.001-0.003,连通性水平较差,通过构建生态网络,整体连通性水平可提高到0.044-0.046,可能连通性水平可达到0.074,表明自然遗产廊道的构建可提高景观的连通性水平;在现有生态网络结构的基础上,增加破碎斑块间的生态连接是优化生态网络体系的可行性策略.;Natural heritage sites are important habitats for fauna and flora, and assist in maintaining ecosystem service functions. Often however, human activities and natural threats have damaged the integrity of such sites, and large habitats have become increasingly fragmented. As a result, regional biodiversity conservation has been seriously threatened. To change this situation, ecological networks are being considered as an effective way to re-connect important natural heritage sites. Within a rational ecological network, the flow of material, energy and information among various areas can be ensured and the quality of natural ecosystems can be improved. The effective setting up of ecological corridors and connecting fragmented habitats are crucial actions in the protection of the biodiversity of natural heritage sites, and in the maintenance of regional ecological security. This is especially true in rapidly urbanizing areas: taking natural heritage sites as the core of an ecological network, constructing these networks and undertaking research on ecological values are particularly important actions in this type of developing area. Jiangsu province is located in the coastal area of eastern China where land resources are limited, and has a high population density and a well-developed economy. Human activities have however disturbed the ecological balance seriously, so there is a need to implement regional ecological networks, to integrate natural heritage resources, and to promote the sustainable development of regional ecosystems. For the present study, natural heritage core-areas were firstly selected based on the theory and principles of Landscape Ecology and Conservation Biology, and the different cost values of different landscape types decided with the help of GIS technology. Second, taking Jiangsu Province as an example allowed quantitative simulation of the establishment of natural heritage sites for potential ecological networks using a minimum cumulative resistance model, and the analysis of network connectivity using an integral index of connectivity and probability of connectivity. Third, the main natural heritage corridors in Jiangsu Province were studied, which allowed the determination of suitable optimization measures on the basis of the current corridors. The results show that, in Jiangsu Province, about 78.28% of the forested area, 88.70% of the beach area, and 94.37% of the grassed area together make up the major part of the natural heritage ecological network. These ecological cores have great influence on the establishment of ecological networks. The study also found that the habitats with larger area and greater length have a higher degree of importance in maintaining landscape connectivity. However, the current integral index of connectivity of the study area ranges between 0.001 and 0.003, which indicates poor connectivity. These values would increase to between 0.044 and 0.046, and the possibility of connectivity could go as high as 0.074, if the construction of the proposed ecological networks were achieved. The increment of these values indicates that the construction of natural heritage ecological corridors improves the level of landscape connectivity significantly. Based on the existing ecological network structure, increasing connections between fragmented ecological sites is thus a feasible strategy to optimize the overall ecological network system. Lastly, suggestions on how to achieve optimization of the ecological network are put forward. Overall, the results in this paper provide an important reference point for the sustainable development of natural heritage and biodiversity protection, and also provide useful information for the implementation of natural heritage protection measures.

不同干扰背景下景观指数与物种多样性的多尺度效应——以巩义市为例

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 不同干扰背景下景观指数与物种多样性的多尺度效应——以巩义市为例 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201310302618 作者: 作者单位: 教育部黄河中下游数字地理技术重点实验室,教育部黄河中下游数字地理技术重点实验室,教育部黄河中下游数字地理技术重点实验室;河南大学环境与规划学院 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金（41371195，41071118） Multi-scale effects for landscape metrics and species diversity under the different disturbance：a case study of Gongyi City Author: Affiliation: Key Laboratory of Geospatial Technology For the Middle and Lower Yellow River Regions,Ministry of Education,Key Laboratory of Geospatial Technology For the Middle and Lower Yellow River Regions,Ministry of Education,Key Laboratory of Geospatial Technology For the Middle and Lower Yellow River Regions,Ministry of Education;China;College of Environment and Planning,Henan University;China Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:以黄河中下游山地丘陵区的巩义市为研究区，采用典型样地法对灌草丛、人工林和农田边缘3种不同干扰背景下的自然、半自然生境内的植物进行调查。基于景观生态学原理，在地理信息系统技术支持下，借助于Fragstatta3.3软件，以调查样地为中心，计算了150、250、500、750、1000、1250、1500m不同半径缓冲区内表征景观形状（Edge and patch shape）、边缘对照（Edge contrast）、相似度和邻近度（Proximity and similarity）、景观多样性（Diversity）、基质（Texture）、斑块大小和密度（Patch size and patch density）共6类52个指数，运用冗余分析（RDA）筛选出不同尺度下对该区农业景观中植物多样性有显著影响的景观指数。结果表明：不同尺度，景观指数对物种多样性的影响变化显著。灌草丛生境，在500-750m范围内，SHAPE_AM指数和PARA_AM指数能够很好的解释物种多样性，解释量为33.6%；人工林生境，SHAPE_AM指数、AREA_CV指数、SIMI指数和PAFRAC指数在1000-1250m范围内对物种多样性的解释量达到48.1%；农田边缘生境，GYRATE_CV指数、ENN_CV指数、PARA_MN指数和FRAC_AM指数在 750-1250m范围内对物种多样性影响显著，解释量为32%。其中，辛普森多样性指数（SIDI）与灌草丛物种多样性在750-1250m范围内作用显著，ENN_CV指数仅对农田边缘物种多样性影响较大。景观指数对物种多样性的影响具有尺度依赖性，未来应全面综合探讨这些指数的尺度效应及在景观生态学中的应用。 Abstract:Heterogeneity and stability of the agricultural landscape is the premise to maintain the stable and high efficient agricultural ecosystem. Currently, habitat loss and the changes of landscape structure caused by human activities have become the important reason for the loss of biodiversity of the agricultural landscape. Although there are numerous metrics available to investigate the spatial structure of landscape, only little empirical research has examined these metrics to indicate the plant species diversity at several scales. The study area is in Gongyi city which is distributed in the mountainous and hilly areas of Middle-Lower Yellow River. We select three types of habitat, such as shrub, plantation and farmland edge to investigate plant species by the typical sample method. These three types of habitat also represent three different disturbance levels. Shrub corresponds to the natural habitat, plantation is under semi-Natural habitat, and the farmland edge habitat is under the strongest human disturbance level. Natural and semi-Natural habitats in agricultural landscapes are of vital importance for preserving biodiversity in agro-ecosystems. Based on the principles of Landscape Ecology, under the technical support of Geographic Information System (GIS), each sample plot is considered as the center to set different radius (150, 250, 500, 750, 1000, 1250, 1500m) of buffers. In each buffer, we extract six classes of landscape metrics, which include patch shape, edge contrast, similarity and proximity, landscape diversity, texture, patch size and patch density, a total of 52 landscape metrics. By applying the redundancy analysis (RDA), the landscape metrics that affect plant species diversity significantly in agriculture landscape are extracted from different scales. Through the analysis of the RDA, the result shows that different extent, the relationship between landscape metrics and species diversity changes significantly. In terms of shrub habitat, the landscape metrics of SHAPE_AM and PARA_AM can well support the species diversity at the extent of 500-750m, and the cumulative percentage variance can get to 33.6%. For plantation habitat, the landscape metrics of SHAPE_AM, AREA_CV, SIMI and PAFRAC can well explain the species diversity at the extent of 1000-1250m, and the cumulative percentage variance is 48.1%. For farmland edge habitat, the GYRATE_CV, ENN_CV, PARA_AM and FRAC_AM are major metrics have strong relationship with species diversity, and the cumulative percentage variance is 32%. At the extent of 750-1250m, Simpson's diversity index (SIDI) shows significant relation with shrub plants; while the metric of ENN_CV only has correlation with farmland plants at the extent of 1000-1250m. This study indicates that the effects of landscape metrics on plant species diversity are strongly depended on the spatial scales, since no metric has constant relation with plant diversity across all extents. This study implies that some landscape metrics can be good indicators for revealing diversity characteristics of different habitats. To get a better relationship of the landscape heterogeneity and species diversity, we recommend further research about scale effects of the landscape metrics and much more application studies of these metrics in Landscape Ecology. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Large-scale effects of forest management in Mediterranean landscapes of Europe

Abstract: Forest landscapes are fundamental components of the living environment and consist of complex assemblages of forest and non-forest elements whose arrangement reflects, in part, the magnitude, intensity, and type of management. Because forests change across regions and scales, a variety of approaches have been proposed to support research and applicable goals. The most promising way to analyze forest landscapes is through the application of the landscape ecological approach, which is the study of ecological patterns and processes in heterogeneous, mostly human-modified, landscapes. In this paper, we analyze the role of landscape ecology in the context of forest landscapes. We discuss the main factors related to forest management which may affect landscape composition and configuration by referencing examples from the Mediterranean landscapes of Europe. Finally, we discuss the key issues for incorporating landscape ecological principles into forest planning and management and provide directions for future research in the emerging context of ecosystem services.

EVALUATION OF LANDSCAPE ECOLOGICAL AESTHETICS OF GREEN SPACES IN LATVIAN LARGE CITIES / LATVIJOS DIDŽIŲJŲ MIESTŲ ŽALIŲJŲ ERDVIŲ KRAŠTOVAIZDŽIO EKOLOGINĖS ESTETIKOS VERTINIMAS

Recently wide process of urbanisation and migration of inhabitants from rural areas to large cities occurs in Latvia. The proportion of green areas in urban territories is decreasing with time, therefore it is important to maintain the existing greenery system and build a new ecosystem that would connect the existing areas. Currently the principles of landscape ecology and aesthetics are not always included in urban planning or land use plans in Latvia. The aim of the study was to assess landscape ecological aesthetic characteristics of green areas in four Latvian cities – Liepaja, Jelgava, Rezekne and Valmiera. The evaluation matrix contains the following criteria for assessing the landscape aesthetics: the order, accordance to the nearby architecture, visible human intention, particularity, and the following criteria for assessing the landscape ecology: biodiversity, dominance of native species, naturalness and wilderness. In the research, a variety of urban green areas – such as parks, squares and waterfront areas – was evaluated. Santrauka Pastaruoju metu Latvijoje vyksta intensyvus urbanizacijos ir gyventojų migracijos iš kaimo vietovių į didžiuosius miestus procesas. Žalieji plotai miestų teritorijose ilgainiui traukiasi, todėl svarbu išlaikyti esamą žaliųjų plotų sistemą ir sukurti naują ekosistemą, kuri sujungtų esamus plotus. Šiuo metu Latvijoje kraštovaizdžio ekologijos ir estetikos principai ne visuo­met įtraukiami į miestų ar kraštovaizdžio planavimo projektus. Studijos tikslas – įvertinti keturių Latvijos miestų – Liepojos, Jelgavos, Rezeknės ir Valmieros žaliųjų plotų kraštovaizdžio ekologines estetines charakteristikas. Vertinta pagal šiuos kraštovaizdžio estetikos kriterijus: tvarka, atitiktis architektūrai, akivaizdus humaniškumas, išskirtinumas; taip pat pagal šiuos kraštovaizdžio ekologijos kriterijus: biologinė įvairovė, vietinių rūšių dominavimas, natūralumas, laisvumas. Tyrime įvertinti įvairūs miesto žalieji plotai: parkai, aikštės ir krantinės. Straipsnis anglų kalba.

Assessing the effects of applying landscape ecological spatial concepts on future habitat quantity and quality in an urbanizing landscape

This study develops a quantitative approach to evaluate the application of design concepts that link landscape ecology theory to landscape planning. Landscape ecology principles were used to develop spatial concepts for creating an armature of open space in areas subject to rapid urbanization. It focuses on the predicted urban expansion of Damascus, Oregon, as a case study. An alternative futures study was used to test three open space spatial concepts for patches, corridors and networks contrasted with compact and dispersed urban development patterns. Eight scenarios of land use and land cover, over 50 years, were defined based on different spatial design concepts to evaluate their effects on habitat quantity and quality and analyze the tradeoffs between urban development and conservation of three focal wildlife species: red-legged frog, western meadowlark, and Douglas squirrel. Open space spatial concepts highly influenced habitat quantity and quality differences among scenarios. Development patterns showed lower influence on those variables. Scenarios with no landscape ecological spatial concept provided the most land for urban development but reduced habitat quantity and quality. Greenway scenarios presented increases of habitats, but failed to provide sufficient habitats for western meadowlark. Park system scenarios also presented an increase on the amount of habitats, but high-quality habitats for western meadowlark and red-legged frog decreased. Network scenarios presented the best overall amount of habitats and increase of high-quality habitats for the three species, but constrained urban development options.

REVIEW: Managing urban ecosystems for goods and services

SummaryConcomitant with the rise in the proportion of the global human population that resides in urban areas has been growth in awareness of the importance of the provision of ecosystem goods and services to those people. Urban areas are themselves of significance in this regard because of their areal extent, and hence the quantity of services falling within their bounds, and because of the need for local provision of services to urban residents.Here, we review key challenges to the effective management of ecosystem goods and services within urban areas.These challenges include the structure of green space, its temporal dynamics, spatial constraint on ecosystem service flows, occurrence of novel forms of flows, large numbers of land managers, conflicting management goals, possible differences between perceptions of urban dwellers and the reality of the distribution and flow of ecosystem services, and the ‘wicked’ nature of the problem of ecosystem service management.Synthesis and applications. Urban areas present very particular combinations of challenges and opportunities for the management of ecosystem goods and services. The spatial and temporal heterogeneity of green spaces greatly complicates the maintenance and improvement in service provision as well as dramatically inflating costs. Spatial constraints on ecosystem service flows mean that these can be highly dependent on the maintenance of particular areas of connectivity, but also that provision of additional key points of connectivity may be disproportionately beneficial to those flows. The existence of novel forms of flows of ecosystem services in urban areas offers means of overcoming spatial constraints on more natural flows, but will require the development of new kinds of ecosystem process models to inform their design and management. The large numbers of land managers, conflicts between the best approaches for managing for different goods and services, and frequent differences between the perceptions of urban dwellers and the reality of urban landscapes create a complex management context. The management of ecosystem goods and services is closely allied to the challenges of conventional urban planning. However, applied ecology has a broad range of tools available to assist in determining solutions, including the use of high‐resolution remote sensing techniques, landscape ecology principles and theory (e.g. patch and matrix frameworks, meta‐population models), and systematic conservation planning approaches.

Geographical Multianalysis and Function Division of Wetland

Wetlands are considered as one of the most productive ecosystems on earth, and more vulnerable and sensitive compared to other ecosystems. With the development of the society, wetlands are suffering serious degradation and loss due to intense anthropogenic disturbance, such as wetland pollution, land use, etc. As one of the effective management measurements, regionalization of wetland function is helpful to have resources in a sustainable development pattern. This paper takes Widgeon Lake, in Beijing, as study region, combining with multi-source remote sensing data, wetland investigation, and the field and meteorological observation data, to analyzes natural features of wetland surrounding, rare feature of wetland type, rare feature of wetland species and the impact of human activities on the wetland. On the other hand, the species and species distribution, soil type and soil moisture, vegetation type and vegetation growing feature, soil erosion and land cover are analyzed, in order to implement regionalization of wetland. Consequently, based on the principles of landscape ecology and wetland science, the function division is conducted, and the leading function area is determined based on GIS technique and overlay analyses, correlation analyses, and leading index methods. As to the management district, according to the hydrological situation and the DEM, the supplement region and protection region are marked out firstly. Then the center, buffer and experiment regions are ascertained in the protection region. As to the leading function area, the protection region is divided into bird protection, vegetation protection, water environment, material supplement, recreation and service regions.