Land Use Change And Scenarios Study On Land Use Planning In The Liaohe Delta

Taking Panjin City as a case, the land use change in the Liaohe Delta between 1988 and 1998 was analyzed with GIS based on remotely sensed data and field investigation, emphasizing the effects on wild life habitat in the wetlands caused by human disturbance and the strategy of spatial adjustment. Spatial diversity index was cited to describe the wild life habitat pattern quantitatively. And the habitat pattern change of wild animals and red-crowned cranes (Grus japonensis), as indicator species, between 1988 and 1998 was analyzed. To restore the habitat of wild animals occupied by land exploitation, land use planning scenarios of the Dawa Delta, as part of the Liaohe Delta and part of Shuangtaihekou National Nature Reserve, were designed with the scenarios approach and the evaluation ideas of LEDESS (Landscape Ecological Decision and Evaluation Support System).The result showed that the land use had a great change during the ten years, with human disturbance as dominant factor. The wetland habitats for many wild animals were seriously affected by this change and the habitat pattern had an obvious change, too. The area of suitable habitat (Sd ≥ 0.35), which had reduced by 7637 hm2 in the ten years, was becoming smaller and more fragmented, with deteriorated quality. For red-crowned cranes, the area with high spatial diversity values (Sd ≥ 0.65) and that with mid-high values (0.5 ≤ Sd < 0.65), which constituted the main part of suitable habitat of red-crowned cranes, had reduced by 9232 hm2 and 15584 hm2 respectively, with the shrinking of natural land cover, such as reed and Suaeda. It was also proved that spatial diversity index could reflect the habitat suitability of wildlife quantitatively and describe the habitat spatial pattern explicitly.Based on the study on land use change and regional actuality, four land use planning scenarios of the Dawa Delta, as part of the Liaohe Delta and part of Shuangtaihekou National Nature Reserve, were designed with the scenarios approach and the evaluation idea of LEDESS (Landscape Ecological Decision and Evaluation Support System). The four scenarios, Scenario No.l (Year 1988), Scenario No.2 (Year 1998), Scenario No.3 (Reed belt) and Scenario No.4 (Habitat restoration), were different in the aims of ecological and economic benefit. And the habitat suitability, the breeding carrying capacity and the economic benefit of different scenarios on the wild animal habitat were simulated and evaluated. The conclusion showed that Scenario No.l was unpractical because of the least economic benefit, Scenario No.2 had high economic benefit but low ecological benefit, which endangered the suitable habitats of the wild animals, and Scenario No.3 and Scenario No.4 should be the effective modes to keep harmonious development between economy and environment, which could be actualized as short-term and long term planning goals in the future. It indicated that appropriate land use modes and habitat restoring measures could not only keep economic development but also offer a steady habitat for wild animals.The Liaohe Delta is not only an important base for grain and oil production, but also one of the most important wetlands for wild animals, especially for water birds, to inhabit and breed. This study will provide a scientific basis for habitat protection of red-crowned cranes and other rare species in the wetlands, and can serve as a reliable reference to the coordination between economic development and ecological conservation in the Liaohe Delta, as well as other similar area.