Abstract:
Baihe Nature Reserve is currently the largest, densest and most representative protected area of Sichuan golden snub-nose monkeys (
Rhinopithecus roxellanae) in the Minshan Mountain Systems of Sichuan Province. Analysis of the ecological landscape pattern changes before and after the earthquake is beneficial to the protection of species resources. Based on the geographic information system and remote sensing data processing software platform, this study combined the key time nodes of the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008 and the Jiuzhaigou Earthquake in 2017. From 2003 to 2018, every five years the remote sensing images of Landsat5 TM and Landsat8 OLI were selected. The ecological landscape pattern and landscape ecological index were used to analyze the ecological landscape pattern changes of the Baihe Nature Reserve on the horizontal level and the patch type horizontal scale during the 15 years before and after the two earthquakes. The results showed that Baihe Nature Reserve consisted of five landscape types: bare rock, grassland/shrub, temperate coniferous forest, mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forest and deciduous broad-leaved forest. Eight landscape indices were selected in Fragstats 4.2 to analyze the ecological landscape pattern of the protected areas from the plaque type level and landscape level. The preliminary analysis revealed that, at the plaque type level the main landscape types of Baihe Nature Reserve in 2003−2018 were mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests, followed by temperate coniferous forests and deciduous broad-leaved forests. Both earthquakes resulted in a decrease in the area of major landscape types, an increase in the number of patches in each landscape type, a decrease in the average area of landscape types, and an increase in the fragmentation of the landscape. At the landscape level, both earthquakes led to a decrease in landscape diversity, a trend towards more complex landscape overall shape, a decrease in landscape spatial heterogeneity, an increase in the gap of each landscape type area proportion, and an imbalance in overall landscape development. Moreover, the present study provides scientific references for monitoring the ecological environment changes before and after earthquakes, ecological restoration and reconstruction after disasters, and habitat conservation of species resources, especially Sichuan golden snub-nose monkeys.