Abstract:
Dianchi Lake stands as the largest wetland in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, and gaining insights into its land use changes and lakeside wetland landscape variations is pivotal for devising ecological restoration strategies that bolster ecosystem integrity. Such understandings can also offer guidance for the management of other wetlands. Leveraging Google Earth Pro software, we visually interpreted and delineated various land use patches in the lakeside zone of Dianchi, situated between the lakeshore and the lakeroad, for the years 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020. We subsequently documented the changes and transfers among these land use types across the years. Additionally, we utilized Fragstats software to analyze the alterations in landscape metrics for wetland patches. Our findings revealed that the primary land use types along the Dianchi lakeside comprised cultivated land, wetlands, grasslands, and residential areas. The primary trend in land use transformation was observed from cultivated land shifting towards garden plots, woodlands, grasslands, wetlands, residential areas, and transportation land. Notably, grasslands were significantly converted into woodlands, while wetlands experienced a decline primarily due to their conversion into transportation land and woodlands. Furthermore, the wetland landscape pattern exhibited a concerning trend of increasing fragmentation and decreasing connectivity. In light of these findings, it is recommended that the pertinent authorities consider enhancing wetland connectivity and improving ecosystem stability in their subsequent wetland restoration and construction endeavors.