Analysis of the Changes in Wetland Landscape Pattern and Driving Factors in the Genhe Basin Over the Past 30 Years

• Main Authors: SONG Xiaomei, CHANG Xiaoli, DING Chen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Chinese
• Published: Editorial Department of Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 2024
• Subjects: genhe basin; wetlands; landscape pattern; climate change; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Agriculture; S; permafrost
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.13870/j.cnki.stbcxb.2024.02.035; https://doaj.org/article/ece49663366a4a829cb14f286dbbc58f

[Objective] In order to understand the spatiotemporal changes in the wetland of the Genhe Basin, the impacts of climate change and land use change on wetland landscape pattern was clarified. [Methods] The driving factors of changes in wetland landscape pattern in the Genhe Basin between 1990 and 2019 were investigated by analyzing the changes in wetland extent and combining them with climate change during the same period. [Results] The results showed that over the past 30 years, the area of wetlands in the Genhe Basin had decreased by 31.89%, the number of patches had increased by 3.74%, and the landscape fragmentation index had increased by 4.48. The overall degradation of wetland areas in the watershed was significant, while the overall number of wetland patches in the watershed had increased. From 1990 to 2004, wetland areas in the watershed showed a significant degradation trend (p<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between wetland areas and annual precipitation, while there was a significant negative correlation between landscape fragmentation index and annual precipitation. It was inferred that annual precipitation was the main factor causing significant changes in wetland landscape patterns in the Genhe Basin. From 2004 to 2019, the degradation trend of wetlands in the watershed was not significant (p>0.05), and the average annual temperature showed a non-significant increasing trend (p>0.05). There was a significant negative correlation between landscape fragmentation index and average annual temperature, which might be due to the melting of shallow permafrost in the watershed due to rising temperatures, leading to a decrease in wetland fragmentation during this period. [Conclusion] The research results are of great significance for maintaining biodiversity and stability of wetland ecosystems in the Genhe Basin, promoting coordinated and interactive wetland-dryland relationships, and ensuring sustainable development of wetland resources.