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Integrating Landscape Ecology and Geoinformatics to Decipher Landscape Dynamics for Regional Planning

Environmental Management volume 48, pages 523–538 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

We used remote sensing and GIS in conjunction with multivariate statistical methods to: (i) quantify landscape composition (land cover types) and configuration (patch density, diversity, fractal dimension, contagion) for five coastal watersheds of Kalloni gulf, Lesvos Island, Greece, in 1945, 1960, 1971, 1990 and 2002/2003, (ii) evaluate the relative importance of physical (slope, geologic substrate, stream order) and human (road network, population density) variables on landscape composition and configuration, and (iii) characterize processes that led to land cover changes through land cover transitions between these five successive periods in time. Distributions of land cover types did not differ among the five time periods at the five watersheds studied because the largest cumulative changes between 1945 and 2002/2003 did not take place at dominant land cover types. Landscape composition related primarily to the physical attributes of the landscape. Nevertheless, increase in population density and the road network were found to increase heterogeneity of the landscape mosaic (patchiness), complexity of patch shape (fractal dimension), and patch disaggregation (contagion). Increase in road network was also found to increase landscape diversity due to the creation of new patches. The main processes involved in land cover changes were plough-land abandonment and ecological succession. Landscape dynamics during the last 50 years corroborate the ecotouristic-agrotouristic model for regional development to reverse trends in agricultural land abandonment and human population decline and when combined with hypothetical regulatory approaches could predict how this landscape could develop in the future, thus, providing a valuable tool to regional planning.

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Notes

  1. Hellenic Army Geographic Service

  2. Natural Disasters Laboratory of the Department of Geography of the University of the Aegean

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Acknowledgments

The study was funded by EPEAEK II-PYTHAGORAS: Metro 2_6. Supporting Science Groups at Universities, Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs and the European Union.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, 81100, Greece

    Angela Dikou, Evangelos Papapanagiotou & Andreas Troumbis

  2. Department of Ichthyology and Aquatic Sciences, University of Thessaly, Volos, 38446, Greece

    Angela Dikou

Authors
  1. Angela Dikou
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  2. Evangelos Papapanagiotou
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  3. Andreas Troumbis
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Angela Dikou.

Appendix A

Appendix A

See Table 6.

Table 6 Grouping of land cover type transitions into processes involved. NEGSUC: negative (backward) succession or degeneration, POSSUC: positive (forward) succession or regeneration; ABAND: plough-land and olive groves abandonment; CHCULT: change in cultivation; CULT: cultural intensification; DECWET: decrease in wetland area; INCWET: increase in wetland; URBAN: urbanization; REGEN: regeneration; AQEXP: aquatic expansion
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Dikou, A., Papapanagiotou, E. & Troumbis, A. Integrating Landscape Ecology and Geoinformatics to Decipher Landscape Dynamics for Regional Planning. Environmental Management 48, 523–538 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9714-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-011-9714-4

Keywords

  • Coastal watershed
  • Land use/cover change
  • Landscape metrics
  • Physical attributes
  • Human attributes
  • North East Aegean
  • Regional planning