Assessment of Land-Cover/Land-Use Change and Landscape Patterns in the Two National Nature Reserves of Ebinur Lake Watershed, Xinjiang, China

Abstract

Abstract:Land-cover and land-use change (LCLUC) alters landscape patterns and affects regional ecosystems. The objective of this study was to examine LCLUC and landscape patterns in Ebinur Lake Wetland National Nature Reserve (ELWNNR) and Ganjia Lake Haloxylon Forest National Nature Reserve (GLHFNNR), two biodiversity-rich national nature reserves in the Ebinur Lake Watershed (ELW), Xinjiang, China. Landsat satellite images from 1972, 1998, 2007 and 2013 were used to calculate the dynamics of a land-cover and land-use (LCLU) transition matrix and landscape pattern index using ENVI 5.1 and FRAGSTATS 3.3. The results showed drastic land use modifications have occurred in ELWNNR during the past four decades. Between 1972Between and 1998Between , 1998Between and 2007Between , and 2007Between and 2013.50 km 2 (7.93%), 122.70 km 2 (3.87%), and 195.40 km 2 (6.16%) of wetland were turned into salinized land. In GLHFNNR both low and medium density Haloxylon forest area declined while high density Haloxylon forest area increased. This contribution presents a method for characterizing LCLUC using one or more cross-tabulation matrices based on Sankey diagrams, demonstrating the depiction of flows of energy or materials through ecosystem network. The ecological landscape index displayed that a unique landscape patches have shrunk in size, scattered, and fragmented. It becomes a more diverse landscape. Human activities like farming were negatively correlated with the landscape diversity of wetlands. Furthermore, evidence of degraded wetlands caused by air temperature and annual precipitation, was also observed. We conclude that national and regional policies related to agriculture and water use have significantly contributed to the extensive changes; the ELWNNR and GLHFNNR are highly susceptible to LCLUC in the surrounding Ebinur Lake Watershed.

Socio-Ecological Drivers of Land Use Change and Wetland Conversion in Kilombero Valley Floodoplain, Tanzania

“…The study on Wang Thong watershed in Northern Thailand showed that the watershed has experienced significant land use change due to the change in its agricultural policy promoting rubber production for export markets [43]. Similar observations have recently been reported by Zhang et al [44] where the Chinese government promoted cotton farming resulting in changes in land use particularly expansion and intensification of cotton farming in the expense of the wetlands of Ebinur Lake Watershed, Western China. This is also the case in Kilombero valley floodplain, whereby various land use related policies implemented by the Tanzanian government have influence land use change and wetland conversion.…”

“…It is among the major driving factors of land use change processes in various ecosystems that influence environmental degradation at the local, regional and global scale. Wetland ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change and variability as its affects hydrology, biogeochemical processes, plant communities and ecosystem function [44]. The temperature change in Ebinur Lake Watershed (ELW), Western China leads to high evaporation affecting the hydrology of the wetlands, although there was high precipitation time to time in ELW, the precipitation could not surpass the higher evaporation rate [44].…”

“…Wetland ecosystems are particularly sensitive to climate change and variability as its affects hydrology, biogeochemical processes, plant communities and ecosystem function [44]. The temperature change in Ebinur Lake Watershed (ELW), Western China leads to high evaporation affecting the hydrology of the wetlands, although there was high precipitation time to time in ELW, the precipitation could not surpass the higher evaporation rate [44]. Moreover, Shi et al, [52] argued that climate zones of higher temperature are subject to higher evapo-transpiration, which restrict the land suitable for agriculture at higher latitudes that accounts for prevalence of irrigated agriculture into the wetland in Northwest China hence leading to wetland degradation.…”

Estimation of the Fe and Cu Contents of the Surface Water in the Ebinur Lake Basin Based on LIBS and a Machine Learning Algorithm

“…The Ebinur Lake Basin is located in the northwest arid area in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and it ranges from 44°54′ to 45°08′ N and 82°35′ to 83°10′ E ( Figure 1 ) [ 22 ]. Ebinur Lake is a national desert natural ecological protection area and the lowest depression and saltwater-collecting centre in western of Junggar Basin [ 23 ]. The Bortala River, Jing River, and Kuitun River run into Ebinur Lake from the west, south, and east, respectively, and are the main sources of lake water [ 24 ].…”

Land use changes and landscape pattern dynamics of a peatland area under diversified human impact: the Grójec Valley (Central Poland)

“…Land use changes could be caused by alternations in hydrological conditions, but they can also cause changes in the water cycle. Moreover these changes are very important at scales both regional (Zhang et al 2017;Fu et al 2013; Wright and Wimberly 2013) and global (Sterling et al 2013). That is why the interdependencies between the anthropogenic impact, water management and land cover changes in wetland areas are widely studied.…”