Abstract:
Liqiu River is an important tributary of the middle reaches of the Yalong River. Against the backdrop of regional socio-economic development and Yalong River hydropower construction, conducting research on the landscape pattern changes and exploring its driving factors of Liqiu River basin is of great significance for ecological protection of the watershed. Based on the landscape distribution data of the Liqiu River basin in 2006 and 2022, a study was conducted using ArcGIS and Fragstats software platforms. The results showed that: (1) Shrubs, grasslands, and forests are the main components of the watershed landscape, with shrubs having the largest distribution area, forests having the largest average patch area, and grasslands having the highest patch number and density. (2) From 2006 to 2022, the area of patch attributes that changed in the research area was
2390.06 hm
2, accounting for 0.46% of the research area. Natural landscapes such as forests, shrubs, grasslands, and wetlands were transferred to artificial landscapes such as urban lands and farmlands, and the area of urban lands increased by
2172.10 hm
2, an increase of 166.01%. (3) The patches of shrubs, grasslands, unused lands, and forests have low dispersion and high adjacency. Grassland patches have the maximum mixedness. Wetland patches have the most complex shapes and edge folds, and the highest connectivity. The shape and edge of farmland and urban land patches are the simplest, and the patch dispersion degree is higher. In the past 16 years, the patch number in the watershed has increased while the average patch area has decreased. Patches of the same landscape type have become more dispersed, mixed, and functionally disconnected, resulting in an upward trend in the fragmentation, evenness, and diversity of the watershed landscape. The expansion and increase in intensity of human activities are the main driving factors for landscape changes in the watershed. Based on the above results, reasonable control and scientific planning of construction land, as well as measures to mitigate human interference and expansion, are proposed to maintain the landscape stability in the Liqiu River Basin.